Carlos Sainz Jr may be heading to Ferrari in 2021, but he still has to honour his McLaren contract. The Spaniard has had a full season with the Woking outfit and even got his maiden podium in Brazil 2019. At the same time, he finally brought home a trophy for McLaren after five long and miserable years.

So, it is understandable that the Spaniard wants to thank the team for all that they did for him. So, he wrote an open letter to the team to say his thanks. The 25-year old leaves behind teammate and friend, Lando Norris, and partners Charles Leclerc, while Daniel Ricciardo takes his place.

What did Carlos Sainz say in the letter?

The Spanish driver wrote, “I rarely express myself on a blank piece of paper, but here goes. Everybody knows the great history of this team, that’s nothing new. However, it wasn’t until I saw the cars of my idols lined up on the boulevard of the MTC, that I truly understood the meaning of being a McLaren driver.”

He continued, saying that he finally realised the feeling of responsibility and pride. Carlos Sainz praised the entire McLaren fraternity for helping him feel comfortable during his stay in the UK. The 25-year old noted the sense of team spirit and how they helped him settle into the team and a new environment comfortably.

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He noticed, that everybody from the management and the team, to the fans, were on the ‘same boat’. Sainz Jr also acknowledged his engineer, Tom ‘Tomasso’ Stallard. Even during his tough start to 2019, everyone still threw their support behind him.

That alone helped build his confidence and he was able to score on a consistent basis. He concluded, “Last year ended up being my strongest season in Formula 1, and a great step forward for the team. Finishing fourth in the constructor’s championship, and sixth in the driver’s championship, was a great achievement. Then, the podium in Brazil with everyone on top. That was the perfect icing on the cake.”