Pedro De La Rosa Warns Sainz Against Joining Fernando Alonso At McLaren

Pedro de la Rosa warned Carlos Sainz against teaming up with fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso at McLaren next year suggesting he needs more experience to take on a “beast” like the double world champion.

The driver market is in total disarray at the moment with nine out of ten teams yet to confirm their driver lineup for the 2019 season. Mercedes are the only team to have confirmed Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for the upcoming campaign.

McLaren are waiting on Alonso before making any decision on their pairing for 2019, with the Spaniard still unsure if he wants to remain in Formula 1. He is in the final months of his deal with the Woking-based team, but they are keen to retain him.

Alonso’s teammate Stoffel Vandoorne is under tremendous pressure and at the moment he looks to be on his way out of the team, with McLaren young driver Lando Norris also in the running for a drive next season.

Sainz currently drives for the Renault works team, but he is only on loan to the French team from Red Bull Racing. Therefore his future depends on that of Daniel Ricciardo, who is negotiating a new deal with the Austrian team. If he reaches an agreement, the Spaniard could be without a drive in 2019.

Sainz is unlikely to return to Toro Rosso, which will be a step down, while he could still be signed on a permanent basis by Renault, it depends on Red Bull. This situation has given room for speculation about a potential move to McLaren to partner Alonso next season.

The double world champion and Sainz share a close relationship more on the lines of student and mentor, but when they become teammates they will be keen to get the better of each other. And De la Rosa is aware that there are few drivers on the grid that can match up to the level of Alonso.

The former McLaren test driver is hoping Sainz does not join McLaren — as he will suffer when he comes against Alonso and wants another driver to suffer that fate rather than his compatriot.

"I think it would be better if they were not together," De la Rosa told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, as quoted on F1i.com. "Being Fernando's teammate is very difficult, so I prefer that someone other than Carlos suffers.”

“I would prefer if Carlos gathers two or three more years of experience and then face a beast like Fernando."

Despite warning Sainz about a move to McLaren, De la Rosa is confident that the current Renault driver has earned his place in F1 and made it clear that it will be a mistake on the French manufacturer’s part to let him leave the team.

"If Renault makes the mistake of letting Carlos go, he has still earned his place in F1," the former HRT and Sauber driver added.

Sainz, meanwhile, has kept his distance from all the speculation linking him with moves to other teams. He maintained that his future lies in the hands of Red Bull and the decision of Ricciardo.

"I cannot comment on it," he said at a press conference in Hungary last week. "Nothing changes until my future is decided by Red Bull or if Ricciardo doesn't sign a deal etc. My future is still uncertain and I'm not linked with any other team yet."