Sainz suggests he's ready to partner Fernando Alonso

Carlos Sainz believes driving alongside Fernando Alonso would be "the biggest ask" in Formula 1 should he do it next season at McLaren. Plenty of people have been linking the two together should Alonso stay and Stoffel Vandoorne move on.

We know for certain that Sainz will leave Renault after being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Without knowing where the Spaniard will end up, Motorsport interviewed him teasing about the opportunity to race alongside Alonso.

When asked if he was ready to do so, Sainz said: "I don’t know, because I haven’t even though about it, as still, it’s not happening.

"I’m ready to beat anyone in the field. My racing spirit and my competitiveness and my self-confidence tells me that I can take over anyone.

"Probably Fernando would be the biggest ask that you could have on the grid, that’s for sure. But yeah, I would feel ready for anything.”

The pairing would mean McLaren have a Spanish duo in their cockpits. That would help on the commercial side of things. CEO Zak Brown has also expressed his interests in Carlos Sainz. Until Alonso decides, it's going to be a matter of 'what if'.