Sainz gets third season at Toro Rosso in 2017

2017 F1 season

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Carlos Sainz Jnr will remain with Toro Rosso for the 2017 season, the team has confirmed.

The 21-year-old from Madrid made his debut with the team last year after winning the Formula Renault 3.5 championship. In his 27 starts so far he has achieved a best finish of sixth, at this year’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Toro Rosso confirmed Sainz’s contract extension in a brief statement on their website.

“We are very happy that Carlos continues with us, because he has shown a very good performance since he is with Scuderia Toro Rosso and I am convinced that he will be very competitive and strong in 2017 as well,” said team principal Franz Tost.

“I am very much looking forward to next season as I am sure that Carlos will bring home very good results.”

The identity of Sainz’s team mate for 2017 is yet to be confirmed. Daniil Kvyat currently occupies the seat having been demoted from sister outfit Red Bull following the first four races of this season.

Red Bull’s Junior Team include GP2 driver Pierre Gasly and Formula Three racer Sergio Sette Camara. The latter will make his F1 test debut at Silverstone next month.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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32 comments on “Sainz gets third season at Toro Rosso in 2017”

  1. So is this the earliers confirmation ever of a STR driver, and the first time someone gets to drive for the team on three consecutive seasons? This tells me they were worried he might drift to elsewhere, which they should as he is quite the talent indeed. He’s had less luck than Verstappen, and he is less talented but being less talented than Verstappen still means you can be very very talented ideed.

    1. @xtwl “the first time someone gets to drive for the team on three consecutive seasons?”

      JEV – 2012-2014

      1. @xtwl @neelv27 Buemi and Alguersari — 2009-2011

        1. @mashiat Yes, Buemi was also for 3 years however not Alguersari. He joined in Hungary 2009 after Bourdais was axed so technically not 3 seasons.

    2. @xtwl
      What about Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari 2009-2011

    3. @xtwl Actually, Bourdais and Speed are the only 2 drivers that didn’t get more than 2 seasons before being dropped. Others were promoted, swapped teams within the group or left on their own accord. I’ve always been a bit surprised as to why people think there is a limit at two seasons.

      Actually, if neither Verstappen nor Ricciardo leave RBR at the end of next season I’m fully confident we will see Sainz for a fourth year at STR (if he won’t leave that is).

      1. If I were Sainz, I wouldn’t locked myself in the RB family if there is no room in the main team. He won’t win championships in TR and there is always that threat from the young guns in the program @mattds .

        1. What young guns? Gasly has not won a race in 3 years and rolled over far too easily from the lead in the sprint race in Azerbaijan. Sette Camara has a best result of 3rd in two years of Euro F3 and finishes well outside the top ten on most occasions. Sainz & Kvyat are both safe for at least another year.

          1. @Hollidog that’s not certain. While Gasly has had some trouble of winning races these past few seasons, he has performed well and might well win GP2 this year. If he pulls that off, winning a few races in the process (and I don’t think the scenario is that unthinkable) then they might place him at STR after all.

            I do think, though, that it is Kvyat who will be dropped in that case.

        2. Not sure there are any F1-material Young guns at the moment but maybe Mr Marko is looking for other talent outside – a la Verstappen

    4. @neelv27, @mashiat, @abdelilah – Alguersuari had to replace Bourdais in 2009 but was then retained for another two seasons untill 2011. In 2012 they replaced their entire line up but kept Vergne for three consecutive seasons whilst Ricciardo replaced Webber in 2014. So Sainz is in fact the second driver to drive for the team on three full consecutive seasons after Vergne, but Alguersuari is the third driver to drive for the team on three seasons.

      1. @xtwl third driver. Buemi as well, as mentioned.

  2. Yeah. He would find another seat elsewhere.

    Maybe they fear Ferrari poach? In any case, he gets extended, while Kvyat is dead in the water.

    Red Bull driver program is brutal.

    1. I would ordinarily agree that Kvyat is dead in the water (even though I think he has great potential), but the fact that Gasly and Sette Camara are the next in line probably means he will be given another year. He is still a better option at this stage than either of them.

    2. There was never any interest from Ferrari for either Ricciardo or Sainz, Helmut Marko confirmed.

      The only reasons Sainz is still at Toro Rosso is that they do not have anyone to replace him with or and more likely he’s being used as a tool for works engine status with Renault, as Horner said we can place him (Sainz) anywhere we want.

      1. What a load of UTTER nonsense!

        Helmut Marko said something – so it’s confirmed?

        Give me a break!

    3. HighinDutchman
      30th June 2016, 17:27

      nah… not just the driver programme, the whole f1 is brutal. and it has to be…

  3. Deserved, the only think he’s done wrong is have the misfortune of having Verstappen as his competitor for the Red Bull seat. Another season to show the teams what he’s capable of will do him a world of good.

  4. Well only one driver in the past has had three full seasons in Toro Rosso, and then he was dumped for being ‘too old’. I do hope Sainz doesn’t suffer the same fate.

    1. Didn’t Buemi and JEV get 3 full season at STR?

      1. @mashiat So he did! Easy to forget that! Buemi got ‘promoted’ to Red Bull reserve I suppose.

        1. @craig-o see my reply above. Only two drivers didn’t get more than two seasons before being dropped altogether from the F1 programme.

  5. I think this is the first time the Red Bull driver’s academy is short of suitable names to promote to F1, so I’m not surprised that Sainz is getting a third season.

    However that’s not to say he doesn’t deserve it. He’s got plenty of talent, and I’m sure Red Bull think he’d be the perfect replacement for Ricciardo if he decides to/is forced to move on from in 2018.

    1. Forced? I think not…..ever.

  6. Good. Sainz is a young talent with a lot of promise.

  7. My guess is that Sainz will be a Coulthard-like driver, almost a champion.

  8. What I would take from this is that Ricciardo has a performance clause in his contract for next year and another offer in waiting for 2018 or beyond much like Vettel did. Sainz is no doubt a highly talented driver, I suspect Verstappen still has the edge and also the potential but as a very safe pair of hands to provide a competitive car to without the high salary demands of a typical experienced driver Sainz makes a great deal of sense to hold onto.

    He will also make a good benchmark for whoever replaces Kvyat next year.

    1. @philipgb I see it the other way, instead of giving a free driver to Ferrari, Red Bull is trying to retain a good driver in contract just to be dropped years later, only Vettel has managed to drive elsewhere and all the sacked RB junior drivers were left without a drive following their term with the team, RB does not offer free “education services” for F1.

  9. Good. Sainz is a very talented driver. He deserves to be in Formula 1 grid.

    1. Huh?!……..where’s your unnecessary jibe at Alonso?!

  10. Great news for Carlos.
    Great also that unlike other manufacturers, Red Bull continue to support the notion of developing and supporting young talent in their cars. Maybe they’ll encourage others to put their young drivers in an F1 car instead of simulators or foreign race series.

  11. It just means there was no interest from the better teams (Ferrari, McClaren, RBR or ForcaIndia) for Sainz.

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