McLaren remain confident of re-signing both Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz for 2021 and beyond.
Both drivers formed quite the bromance in their first season together last year, helping push the British team to finish ‘best of the rest’ in fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
Off the back of that success, McLaren now wants to secure their line-up for the future but have had to delay that process due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our position hasn’t really changed, or the way we want to approach that. We clearly see the future within McLaren, with Carlos and Lando,” Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl told the media in an online gathering last week.
“Of course, we would like to get some races under the belt now, and then to sit together finally and make decisions from both sides, but I don’t think that is a big issue at the moment.”
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After beating Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly into sixth place in the Drivers’ Championship in 2019, however, Sainz has seen his stock rise massively, leading to speculation he is being considered as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari.
Though the Spaniard has played down the links, he is being advised to at least wait and see if the Scuderia come calling.
“If I had the option to go to Ferrari, I would,” former Marussia Manor driver Roberto Merhi told Marca.
“My opinion is that the best drivers on the grid today are [Lewis] Hamilton and Verstappen, and honestly, Carlos was able to keep up with Max.
“In qualifying and in the race he has the pace.
“Carlos, having already faced him, doing it against Leclerc would mean nothing to him, he would not be afraid.”
He also warned despite McLaren’s progress, their pending ties to Mercedes from 2021 could hold them back.
“I also say that McLaren is very good, but it will always depend on being a client of a manufacturer like Renault or Mercedes, and I don’t know how good that is when it comes to winning a World Championship,” he admitted.