Reflecting further on the topic, the 35-year-old said: “It’s hard [to say]. Obviously, most of my time there was a bit more of a struggle or a challenge. So, look, did I predict this? I’m not going to say yes, because I don’t think I did.
“So I guess from that point of view, it is a bit of a surprise that in two years, less than two years, they are probably currently the quickest package on the grid. But I also don’t look at that like, ‘Oh man, if only I could have had that.’
“That’s the sport, that’s how it is… You take your hat off to them. Anyone in this sport that’s doing well and developing and making such a big step in a short amount of time, you have to compliment that.”
Prior to Ricciardo joining McLaren, Sainz had been Norris’s team mate between 2019 and 2020. During his time with the team, the Spaniard achieved his first podium before going on to become a Ferrari driver in 2021.
While several years have passed since he worked with the papaya outfit, Sainz felt that the squad would eventually taste the levels of success that they had experienced in their illustrious past.