Sainz: McLaren can't get overexcited with expectations

Carlos Sainz has warned McLaren that it can't become too excited with its aims for the 2019 season. The Woking squad had a difficult 2018 campaign, as it failed to successfully develop the MCL33.

As a result, it ended the season competing towards the back of the field. This year, it will run with a brand new line-up of Sainz and rookie Lando Norris. Recently CEO Zak Brown outlined his five-year plan to get the team back to championship winning ways.

Sainz, who replaces his childhood hero Fernando Alonso at McLaren, says that it must focus on the long-term plan rather than expecting to succeed over a short time period.

"McLaren has a very clear plan which is hopefully in the near future is to go back to what McLaren has always been, which is a winning team. But it is a long term plan - we cannot get overexcited,” the Spaniard said.

“We know we need to work hard, and we know that the team last year was really far away from that. But we have sat down, we have seen together what we need to do to become bigger and stronger.”

McLaren is currently reshuffling its senior staff in the hope of making gains, recently announcing that Andreas Seidl had joined as its team boss. Toro Rosso technical director James Key is also expected to join in time to impact McLaren's 2019 challenger.

"There are lot of key people being signed. Some very important people like James Key, like Andreas - so you can see the team is doing an effort,” Sainz said.

“I got to know the engineers in the team and they are very capable. I think we have a very good plan for the next two years, and hopefully that will bring us little by little back to the top."