Carlos Sainz Jr explains comment that angered Red Bull F1 team
Carlos Sainz Jr believes his comment that he is unlikely to be at Toro Rosso for the 2018 Formula 1 season was misconstrued and blown out of proportion

Sainz had an offer from the works Renault F1 team for this season but Red Bull took up its option to keep him.
The Spaniard has repeatedly said he wants to step up to the senior team, but Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo both have contracts for next year.
Sainz's comment on Thursday that a fourth year at Toro Rosso was "unlikely" led to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko and Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost all questioning his loyalty.
In response to the furore, Sainz stood by his remarks, insisting that he was grateful to Red Bull but reiterating that he had ambitions beyond staying at Toro Rosso.
"Everything probably has been thrown a bit out of proportion," he said.
"What I said yesterday is nothing strange, I believe.
"As a driver, as an ambitious driver, as a human, it's clear my first goal in life is to become a Red Bull driver and start fighting for podiums with them again - I owe them everything.
"I owe Toro Rosso and the people there everything I know in Formula 1 at the moment, but I have ambitions.
"My ambition is to be a Red Bull driver one day and hopefully sooner rather than later.
"What I said is a fact: in 12 years of Toro Rosso, no one has been a fourth-year.
"For me to be a fourth-year, I'll be the first one in history.
"It would be a strange situation, usually it's a junior team where you want to develop drivers."

When asked directly about Tost, Horner and Marko's comments, Sainz said: "I'm not stupid, I see what happens, how everything developed.
"I was a bit surprised, if you can put it that way.
"It's something that sometimes in F1 happens.
"I will learn from this and from now onwards, it will stay a bit more internal."
Autosport understands Red Bull took up the option to keep Sainz in the Red Bull family for 2018 last week.
When asked if it was 100% clear he will be driving in one of the Red Bull teams next year, Sainz said: "By the looks of it, it looks like they keep trusting in me, which is great news for me.
"It looks like my bosses are happy with my performance, so by the looks of it, at the moment, yes.
"2017 is a very long year ahead, things could change."
It is believed Sainz has had discussions with other F1 teams regarding a move beyond this season, though he would not comment on whether there had been any offers made.
"I cannot talk about that and I will not talk about that because then a big story will come up," he said.

Mercedes rules out Vettel clash as Hamilton F1 gearbox change cause
Fernando Alonso has to revert to old-spec Honda for Austrian GP

Latest news
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.