Sainz: "Thanks to McLaren for giving me such a reliable car"

Carlos Sainz had the opportunity to familiarize himself with his new team, while former driver Toro Rosso and Renault piloted the MCL33 833 kilometers in Abu Dhabi. Recall that these tests were intended to test the 2019 tires of the Pirelli range and to compare them to those used during the campaign that has just ended.

"Taking the track for my first day as a McLaren driver is a dream come true," says Sainz, who replaces his childhood hero Fernando Alonso in Woking. "When I finally finished my first stint, the feeling was extremely good, and I must say that the day was very simple."

"Thanks to the team, I felt at home from the first lap – and from the first day, yesterday, when I started working with her – I did a lot of tricks today, thanks to the team to have given me such a reliable car to be able to introduce me to this new chapter and this new style of car. "

"From the first to the 150th lap, I always had fun, the feeling was good and we were able to finish the season in the best way possible." As soon as I stepped out of the garage, I felt comfortable in the Of course, there are inevitably details to improve and new things to adapt to, such as the tub and the driving style, but in the first lap I was able to spend time adapting and learning. to know all the new buttons and procedures, it was great. "

The priority of Sainz will now be to continue his integration just started in the legendary British team. The latter welcomes two new holders for next year: the reserve driver Lando Norris, Vice-Champion of Formula 2, has been promoted to replace Stoffel Vandoorne.

"The last few days have been intense after the last race, getting to know a lot of names and understanding how the car works, and I can not wait to spend more time at the factory this winter to get to know the team better. and prepare me as best as possible for 2019 ", Sainz concludes.