Spa-Francorchamps, August  23rd 2018.- Carlos Sainz has arrived at the Circuit de  Spa-Francorchamps, home to the always iconic Belgian Grand Prix, the first  round of the 2018 World Championship since the summer break.

The Ardennes are home to  one of the highlights of the racing season and one of Carlos Sainz’s favorite  race-tracks in the world. At 7.004 metres long, Spa-Francorchamps is the  longest track in the calendar. It holds unparalleled corners such as the  ever-famous Eau Rouge, Pouhon or Blanchimont.

For the Renault Sport  Formula One Team, the Belgian race is the first of nine crucial races in the  fight to achieve the fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The team  will bring a brand new floor to the track in its willingness to optimize the  R.S.18.

Tyres available for the  weekend are the medium, the soft and the supersoft. Carlos will have two units  of the white option, three of the yellow and eight of the red one.

Carlos received an  invitation to take part today in the FIA Press Conference, where members of the  media asked were interested in his future after the recent news that he will be  joining McLaren from 2019.

Talking about the Belgian  GP, he is confident that the upgrades of the R.S.18 will contribute to its  performance. “What happened during the summer won’t affect the rest of the  season. I am really looking forward to these races, looking forward to doing my  best both for the team and for myself. I hope we take another small step  forward in Spa, it would be what we need to secure that edge on the fourth  place of the Championship. We have a small edge and we are a team with  resources. We will be bringing small upgrades until the end of the season”.

Carlos also explained how  his signing with McLaren unfolded. “I wasn’t worried when Daniel Ricciardo  announced that he would be driving for Renault, because I know that I had other  options available. I had to wait for Red Bull and take my own decision. McLaren  was interested in me and it was a mutual interest. It will be a new chapter in  my career and my first two-year contract in Formula 1”.