Carlos Sainz Jr. has emphasised that he has “a lot of trust” in McLaren’s ability to recover from its current slump and re-emerge as a leading contender in Formula 1.
Sainz Jr. has joined McLaren following previous spells with Toro Rosso and Renault but links up with the team in the midst of a difficult run.
McLaren has not won since 2012 and it has endured 99 Grands Prix without registering a podium finish.
It finished sixth in last year’s Constructors’ Championship, having struggled to contend for points through the second half of the campaign.
“I think I want to see better results than [2018],” Sainz Jr. said of tentative 2019 goals.
“They also want to see it. Also evolution through the year. It’s a bit of everything.
“McLaren is perfectly capable of that. That’s why I’m going there. I have a lot of trust in them; I have a lot of trust in the second most successful ever F1 team.
“They’ve won, hopefully they will remember how to do it, and little by little in a mid-term project they [will] start going back to the top.”
Sainz Jr. stressed that he is regarding his move to McLaren as a long-term project.
“I am in a two-year commitment with them,” he said.
“I want, as a driver, but also as a fan because I am a McLaren fan, to see the team going forward.
“So, if we manage to get a good first year and a good head start on how things are going to evolve I really think I can create a family out of McLaren and spend a few years there.
“That’s my target at the moment.
“I’m going there going year-by-year, but also thinking about trying to be one of the key factors helping McLaren go back to the top.
“Because of that I’m extremely motivated, I’m extremely looking forward to it.”
McLaren will unveil its Renault-powered MCL34 on February 14.
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