Toro Rosso Retains Sainz for 2017

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Carlos Sainz Jr. will return to Scuderia Toro Rosso next season, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner confirmed.

Sainz was overlooked for a promotion to Red Bull in favor of teammate Max Verstappen when the team demoted Daniil Kvyat to Toro Rosso. Since then, the Spaniard has impressed enough to warrant a rare third-year with the team and thus ending any speculation about his future.

“We took up his option earlier this week, so he’s committed to Red Bull for the next 12 months,” Horner said. “As with all the drivers, they are committed to Red Bull Racing and we have the ability to place them where we want. He is currently at Toro Rosso, which is where we expect him to be next year.

“We had until the end of the year to take up the option and we chose to do it early to put his mind at rest.”

Horner also mentioned that he would “be surprised” if Kvyat wasn’t alongside Sainz at Toro Rosso. Additionally, both Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen are under contract with Red Bull for 2017.

About Joey Barnes 612 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.

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