Sainz eyes new McLaren contract for 2021

Carlos Sainz has indicated he will want to stay at McLaren beyond the end of his 2020 contract.

In an official Formula 1 poll voted on by the drivers themselves, Spaniard Sainz was named the fourth best of the 2019 season.

And the 25-year-old wants to continue to push ahead in 2020.

"There are no exact objectives for 2020 but it is very important that the progression does not stop and we continue to close up with the teams ahead," he said at a sponsor event in Madrid.

"2020 is a year to follow the current trend, then for 2021 and 2022 we do not know what will happen. My concern going into the holidays is zero."

Sainz admits that finishing sixth once again in the drivers’ championship, and scoring another podium, will be "difficult" for 2020.

"The beginning of the season will be similar to the end of 2019, with three dominant teams, but hopefully we will be the first to manage to reduce that one second gap to those teams."

And then, at the end of next year, his current contract with McLaren expires.

"It’s too early to talk about 2021," he said. "But I do not hide that I am very happy with this project and another step forward is going to motivate me even more.

"At this time there is no reason to look anywhere else because I am very happy at McLaren.

"2021 is a great opportunity for everyone - for F1, the teams, the drivers - to make a start from scratch. Hopefully it will be more competitive and even more fun," said Sainz.

He thinks part of the reason for his own surge in form this year was because of the stability provided by McLaren.

"My first three years at Red Bull were for one year at a time, and although they were very good, I didn’t have the stability and the medium term project that I now have with McLaren," Sainz said.

"It also means not having to fight with my teammate season by season, because every year someone was going to Red Bull and someone staying at Toro Rosso.

"Now I am next to Lando (Norris) and we get along very well and I’m sure that is helping the team to move forward.

"I really wanted a situation like this because I knew I had potential," he added.