Carlos Sainz says it is a significant “boost” to have the security of knowing he will race for McLaren in 2020.
Ahead of last week’s British Grand Prix, the Woking-based outfit confirmed the Spaniard will be alongside teammate Lando Norris once again with both drivers already having two-year deals.
And Sainz would reveal that when he signed that contract last summer, it was the first time in his Formula 1 career he had some certainty in his future.
“Under the Red Bull program you always feel pressure, in the same way in McLaren you feel pressure to deliver because it’s McLaren,” he said.
“[But at] Red Bull, I was on a contract that renewed every year and I think sometimes its underestimated how much it is a boost for a driver to know you’re going to be there for a couple of years so you can settle in.”
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Perhaps then it is no coincidence that by having the reassurance of a 2020 seat, Sainz and McLaren are enjoying a much improved year in fourth in the Constructors’ standings.
Although the second-generation racer doesn’t think it has made him any faster.
“I’m not sure if it’s worth it in terms of performance and in terms of tenths, how much it affects you when you put the helmet on,” he admitted.
“But what I can tell you is working with a team you know you’re going to spend more than a year with, definitely changes how the team approaches you.
“You can see on a medium or long-term deal how the whole team and driver work a bit more together.
“I think you’ve seen it this year with a few drivers that it does take a bit of time to adapt to a new car nowadays in Formula 1, or to extract the last two-tenths of a car.
“Sometimes in a new team it’s not always easy to find the limit of a car and exploit it consistently,” he noted.
“Having that extra year gives me that extra calmness and confidence to know I’m going to spend here a few years and the engineers are going to also respond to it.”