Red Bull's F1 switch of Verstappen and Kvyat 'difficult' for Sainz
Carlos Sainz Jr admits getting beaten to Red Bull's in-season Formula 1 promotion by Max Verstappen was a "difficult moment", as it could have hurt his career

When Red Bull demoted Daniil Kvyat to its junior team Toro Rosso after the Russian Grand Prix, it chose to promote Verstappen to partner Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen and Sainz made their grand prix debuts together at the start of the 2015 season, although Sainz entered F1 with more car racing experience.
Sainz was disappointed to not replace Kvyat and used that to motivate himself and deliver a strong season, finishing sixth in the next grand prix, his home race at Barcelona, which he followed with points finishes in Monaco and Montreal.
By mid-year, he had secured a Toro Rosso contract extension for 2017, and the Spaniard also finished sixth at Austin and Interlagos before the end of the season.
"I tried to show a lot of strength but it was a difficult moment, obviously, because you don't like being overlooked by someone," Sainz told Autosport.
"People talked about how difficult it was for Kyvat but people thought it was easy for me also.
"They didn't take into account that it was also a difficult moment for me, that I had to react and I had to suddenly take the attention of Red Bull.
"I said to myself, 'I will prove you wrong' and then my best three races in Formula 1 came directly after that and a contract arrived in Baku and I signed it immediately.

"So it was a big turning point and a good reaction to a very tricky situation.
"It would have been quite tricky for me suddenly to do not such a good job against Kyvat.
"It could have put my F1 career in a tricky situation so I was under a lot of pressure and I performed at my best level."
Sainz said the turn of events heaped the pressure on but he reacted well, outperforming Kvyat to achieve a points tally nearly double that of the Russian on his way to 15th in the championship.
"I remember when this happened, I was going to Barcelona, it was my home race," said Sainz.
"There was pressure from the change of team-mate and it was nearly obligatory for me to be ahead.
"I was under a lot of pressure but suddenly everything went perfect from then onwards in the season so it was a good moment and something that I'm very proud of."

Fernando Alonso tells McLaren staff he's staying in 2017
Why Renault won't fight for podiums in 2017

Latest news
Laser Tools Racing continues in BTCC with Hill
The Laser Tools Racing name that was carried to British Touring Car Championship titles in 2020 and 2021 will continue in the series after all with Jake Hill.
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
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?
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.