F1 News
Sainz: "We can’t afford to sit back in 2020"
There will be plenty of expectation on McLaren in 2020 as they look to cement their place at the front of the midfield. Number one driver Carlos Sainz has insisted that 2020 won't be a gap year and that the team have worked hard on every aspect of the car.
Sainz finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship last year, his first season with McLaren. The Spaniard has quickly become one of the most popular drivers on the grid and he'll be hoping the MCL35, that was launched on Thursday, will help McLaren close the gap on the top three.
“Today is a big day for all of us! I’ve followed very closely the making of the MCL35 this winter and I know how much effort and passion we’ve put into it," Sainz told the McLaren website.
"Many may consider 2020 to be just a gap year between the old and the new regulations, a mere continuation of 2019 into 2021.
"However, at McLaren, we pushed the ‘reset’ button after the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi and we’ve worked extremely hard to try and improve every single detail of our car."
No rest for McLaren
McLaren were head and shoulders above the midfield last season but with everyone constantly improving, Sainz knows they can't rest on their laurels.
"We can’t afford to sit back in 2020 if we want to close the gap to the top," he added.
"The ambition is to push myself and the team to take another step forward this season, and I’m looking forward to Barcelona testing and continuing the positive momentum we started last year.”