Carlos Sainz appears to have accepted he will remain with Toro Rosso in 2018, as speculation over his future continues.
The Spaniard ruffled a few feathers at the company’s home race in Austria a few weeks ago, suggesting it was “unlikely” he would remain with the junior Red Bull for a fourth year in 2018, leaving the door open to other teams if he was not promoted next season.
His comments immediately drew a response from both motorsport advisor Helmut Marko and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insisting Sainz wasn’t going anywhere and now he has suggested his comments were out of line.
“As a 22-year-old driver you learn from these kind of things and the air was cleared immediately once we started our conversation in Austria,” Carlos said.
“At that point it was forgotten, I kept focusing on my job like I’ve done all season. I think there was a bit [of confusion] and I’ve learned from it.
“Today I’m calm because I don’t have a reason to really be too stressed.”
There was another twist in the story over his future during the weekend with a report in Germany suggesting Sainz had cut all ties with Red Bull and would be racing with Renault from the next race in Hungary.
That rumour has since been squashed and Sainz revealed the atmosphere was jovial during last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
“We were playing tennis [at the weekend] together, had a barbecue, enjoying our time – me versus Christian Horner and Marko was the referee,” he said.
“So we had a good time, the air is clear, and I’m a Red Bull driver inside the Red Bull programme confirmed for Toro Rosso next year.”
It is not known if the comments will mark the end of the speculation over his future, particularly with Horner suggesting Red Bull would listen to “significant” offers for Sainz, but it does appear likely a forced exit is now off the table.
