He waited in a room, while on the other side of the walls the failure that would change his life was elucidated, with exasperating parsimony. It was around 10 p.m. on November 17 in Interlagos and Carlos Sainz seemed the calmest man in McLaren headquarters. The mobile phone fumed, so he had to calm, of course, his mother, who wanted him immediately in Madrid for a hug in the heat of home. “There will be time for the weekend, mom. At the moment I fly back to England, because I want to continue working on Wednesday and Thursday at the factory, ”Carlos replied shortly before the commissioners confirmed the penalty to Lewis Hamilton. A punishment that took him to third place in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The first podium for a Spanish rider since 2014 was set up in Sao Paulo after a comeback from the last place on the grid. A reward for the inexhaustible industriousness of Sainz, who wasn't even going to allow himself that week a blur in his meticulous plan. Above anything, the car for the 2020 World Cup had to be further developed, where the objective is to consolidate itself as the best of the 'midfield', the grill area in the wake of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. In McLaren it is considered "practically impossible" to reduce those 1.2 seconds per lap of the six cars that dominate the championship, although Carlos' task this year, the last of his contract, will also be to file a tenth and take advantage of any mistake to repeat The Interlagos feat.

In his daily schedule at Woking, Sainz will repeat the routines that have caused this qualitative leap in results. On Mondays, I rest, with the exception of some physiotherapy session; On Tuesdays, morning training and meeting with the engineers to discuss all the details of the last race; on Wednesdays, evening work in the simulator; on Thursdays, meeting with people from the factory and more physical sessions, with special emphasis on boxing; On Fridays, start of the weekend with Isabel, his girlfriend, or trip to Madrid to reunite with the family. The plan, obviously, has nothing to do with the pilots who decide to live in luxury in Monaco, oblivious to the deaf work in the factory. “It's easier to be considered a leader if you work alongside the people of Woking. It is not enough to put on a good face and go by obligation. You have to get involved with them and also know how to motivate. All these achievements would have been impossible if Carlos did not move to live there, ”they explain from around Madrid.

The 2020 World Cup, the last one before the regulatory revolution, will also be characterized by incessant rumors about the future of the drivers, given that 80% of the grid ends the contract. «Since McLaren they have given us a lot of calm. So it would be normal to renew », said the aforementioned sources, aware of their position of strength after Carlos's sixth place overall, just ahead of Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon , who took turns behind the wheel of the second Red Bull car . "It is very unlikely to repeat that position," they argue about the options in a year where they would like to close the new agreement with Zak Brown , head chief in Woking, before the holidays. Between May and July. Apart from all this, the most recent sensations in the factory conform to the expected. The message conveyed by Andreas Seidl , sports manager, seems to have penetrated the troop: «No relaxation. Nothing to despise. Now it's time to press the reset button ».

In the development of the MCL35, the car for this transition season is also another opportunity for Sainz, whose extensive technical knowledge has a lot of experience among engineers. "He is able to explain in words what the car is missing and what he wants from the car," they explain about his passionate work at the factory. Tom Stallard , his track engineer, will remain the main confidant and James Key , technical director, will take full responsibility for the new chassis. The first objective is to start more vigorously and avoid Carlos's three consecutive zeros in Australia, Bahrain and China, his most difficult moment of last season. The second key moment of 2020 will come around May or June, when the main updates of the MCL35 will be released on the asphalt. From that day on, all efforts will be focused on the 2021 World Cup, the first under the revolutionary guidelines agreed between Liberty Media, business owner, the International Federation (FIA) and the 10 grid teams.

The 2020 course will also be McLaren's last with Renault engines before resuming the old alliance with Mercedes. Sainz's breakages in Australia and Belgium, coupled with those of Lando Norris in Germany and Belgium call into question the reliability of the French thrusters, given that the official Renault team suffered four other fatal breakdowns for Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg . However, the total sum of abandonments for this circumstance in Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull was reduced to a break in Valtteri Bottas . "There will be no major changes in performance, but it will have to focus on reliability," say McLaren, convinced that the difference from the Honda engine is not as abysmal as you think.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • McLaren
  • Madrid
  • Ferrari
  • Belgium
  • Australia
  • Nico Hulkenberg
  • Valtteri Bottas
  • Germany
  • Bahrain
  • China
  • Daniel Ricciardo
  • Lewis Hamilton
  • Formula 1

Drug trafficking The 'travel agency' of cannabis gardener slaves in Spain

Yearbook Motor 2019Cars of 2019: change of third

F1 Ferrari entrusts its future to Leclerc: five more years and 9 million euros