Carlos Sainz and McLaren, two unexpected surprises of the first half of the season
What seemed impossible happened for the Papaya team, but Lando Norris isn’t the only rising star in Woking: Carlos Sainz is there and ready for more.
We all remember when he started: two young guys in Toro Rosso fighting each other, two young guys with two big fathers and history behind. If there’s one episode to recall among all those during that season, Singapore 2015 is surely one to remember: they fought each other until the very end and Max Verstappen kept his position, as he did in the circus.
The bravery and the aggressive mood of the Dutch man earned him soon a seat in the senior team and his name written among the stars of Formula 1.
On the other side, Carlos Sainz had to deal with misfortune, DNFs and the shining light of his ex team mate, but this didn’t stop him: from Toro Rosso to Renault, Carlos Sainz took the decision of his life, replacing his life time hero Fernando Alonso in McLaren, a team which desperately needed fresh air and some luck, after a disastrous marriage with Honda.
Looking at the big picture, it is crazy to connect all the pieces and realize how much Honda, Renault and McLaren are connected and related and how Carlos Sainz is too.
From his early days in Toro Rosso, with the dream to drive a Renault powered Red Bull, Sainz took the chance to drive in the French constructor team. Then, he signed with McLaren, keeping his Renault engine, while Red Bull opted for the Honda engines from the 2018 season.
The marriage between McLaren and Renault seems to work well, with performances way better than the French team.
After a bitter start, the Spaniard collected two consecutive 5th place finishes, one earned on wet conditions in Germany, the other well deserved in Hungary. The podium was really close in Hockenheim, but as the number 55 said “P5 was a good result and I don´t regret any of the decisions we made. The pain of missing out on a podium quickly disappeared when I got back to the UK”.
Despite being ignored from the cameras, as he sarcastically noticed, Sainz is bringing good points to the team, which is, currently 4th in the standings, meaning McLaren is the first of the midfield.
Same for Sainz, who is 7th, behind the 6 drivers from the top team.
Round of applause for the team. 👏
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) August 5, 2019
A huge effort from the whole crew as we hit the halfway point of the season fourth in the constructors' standings and still pushing. 👊 pic.twitter.com/TbyvHl8qdf
Once again, Lando Norris charisma and talent of a 19 years old is outstanding Sainz, who is proving, Grand Prix after Grand Prix, how far he has come.
McLaren had done tremendous steps ahead and the position in the Championships proves it: a result which was unthinkable, but is finally real after years of struggles.
As McLaren is ready to come back in the top teams, so is Carlos to take the big step: someone has called him the new Nico Hulkenberg, the talented guy everyone wanted, but with no podiums on his CV. But Carlos is ready, his performances prove it, so how much are we going to wait to see him on podium?
