Carlos Sainz admits it is tougher than he expected not to be distracted by his unique status of being on-loan with Renault.
The Spaniard made the switch from Toro Rosso to the French manufacturer for the final four races of last year and the entirety of 2018 as part of the deal which saw the junior Red Bull team switch to Honda engines, allowing Renault to supply McLaren.
With the 23-year-old still a member of the stable at the Austrian energy drinks giant though, his future is still in the hands of Helmut Marko and potentially not at Enstone.
“I’ve not heard of many drivers who are on loan, it’s more of a football term,” Sainz told Motorsport.com. “It’s a bit of a strange situation, I’m a special case at the moment. That’s why I can’t let it get into my head.
“Who would have told me when I was at Toro Rosso that this year I would be at Renault? No-one. It is a very special situation.”
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The biggest factor in deciding the second generation star’s fate is Daniel Ricciardo, with Sainz first in line to step up to Red Bull should the Australian move elsewhere.
Asked how he was dealing with that distraction, Carlos replied: “I’m trying to impress myself, by that I mean I’m really looking forward to having a full season with a team. I’m going to keep it open, keep performing the way I’ve been doing.
“Things will sort out for themselves, normally if you perform well good things are coming.”
