Sainz "will do everything" to keep Spanish F1-fans post-Alonso

With Fernando Alonso retiring from the Formula One at the end of the season, Carlos Sainz will be the only Spaniard left in the sport, but the soon-to-be McLaren driver isn't scared of taking on that responsibility.

Alonso is an incredibly popular driver in Spain, and should he go to Indycar next year, a lot of Spaniard journalists will likely go with him. 

However, Sainz doesn't think it will mean that interest in Formula 1 will drop massively in Spain after the two-time champion has left the sport.

"I'm not scared of that," he told Spanish newspaper AS.

"There are a lot of F1-fans because of Fernando.

"It's true that a lot of fans initially came for Alonso in Spain, but they stayed because they love the sport.

"We should keep those fans, and I will do everything I can to do so.

"Of course there will be a lot of people who will follow Fernando to the IndyCar, but I think there will still be a large fanbase in Spain because of him."

Sainz is rated highly in Spain. AS even hail the Madrid-born driver as a potential future F1 champion. We're not sure he has that much potential, but there is no denying that Sainz is very talented indeed. Whether he can showcase that talent at McLaren next season is a different question, with the Woking-based team struggling massively for performance in recent years.