Brown explains why Sainz provides ‘perfect blend’ for McLaren

McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown feels Carlos Sainz Jr is the ideal driver to fill the race seat vacated by Fernando Alonso following the confirmation of his move to the team.

Sainz has been signed by McLaren on a multi-year deal after Alonso confirmed he would leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.

When quizzed about the prospect of signing Sainz in Hungary before Alonso’s F1 exit, Brown tipped the 23-year-old as a strong option and a potential future star of the sport.

Having assessed the team’s options for 2019 Brown feels Sainz is a ‘great fit’ for the Woking-based squad heading into its second year with Renault customer engines as it aims to recover from a difficult stretch of seasons following its failed partnership with Honda before technical issues hampered its progress this year.

“Carlos brings with him the perfect blend of youth and experience,” Brown said. “Although he’s just 23, he’ll be starting his fifth season in the sport with us and will bring with him a huge amount of racing experience, both in Formula 1 and with our partner Renault.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Carlos join us as a McLaren driver. We’ve been assessing him for some time now and rate him very highly among the next generation of young talent emerging through the ranks in Formula 1.”

Brown also gave a nod to the connection between countrymen Alonso and Sainz and has faith he can live up to expectations set on him when he makes the move this winter.

“It’s no secret that Carlos is a huge admirer of Fernando’s, and it’s fitting that he will be stepping into his seat as a Spaniard with a legendary name in motorsport,” he said. “We think he’ll be a great fit for McLaren and we’re really excited to have him join us from next season and beyond.”

Sainz made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 before being loaned to Renault towards the end of last season. The Spanish driver will complete the current campaign with Renault before switching to McLaren with Daniel Ricciardo joining the Enstone squad alongside Nico Hulkenberg.