Sainz: A pleasure to stay at Renault

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Carlos Sainz says it would be a “pleasure” staying on at Renault next season as he believes in what they are doing.

Sainz joined Renault during last year’s championship, moving over to the team as part of a loan deal from Red Bull Racing.

But with Renault and Red Bull set to part ways at the end of this season, there are some questions about whether it will affect Sainz.

The Spaniard, who has already denied it will have any impact on his future, says he is “happy” to remain with Renault in 2019.

“It would be a pleasure to stay in Renault,” he said in an interview with El Pais.

“Actually I’m happy where I am, I think this team has a lot of potential and, whatever happens, I’m very proud of how we are doing things here at Renault.

“For me it would be a pleasure to stay.”

He added: “They were away from F1 for five years so this is a process of regrouping, of reforming and of going little by little in the right direction, improving.

“I think the team is very ambitious and knows how to win, because it has won in the past, and that is a plus that other teams may not have.”

And while Sainz is happy at Renault, so too is the team happy with the driver and his team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg.

The two men form a balanced, no nonsense line-up at Renault, and one team advisor Alain Renault would like to see unchanged.

“Sometimes in a team there are big differences in the attitude of the drivers, or how they work with the engineers,” said Renault advisor Alain Prost. “But from what I see, these two complement each other very well.

“The important thing is that they go in the same direction and push the team to be the best.”