Carlos Sainz says he wants to stay at McLaren longer than his current two-year contract.

The Spaniard arrives at McLaren - the once-great and now struggling British outfit that has lost Fernando Alonso - from the Renault works team.

"I want to see better results than in 2018," Sainz told Marca sports newspaper.

"McLaren is perfectly capable and that's why I'm here. It's the second most successful team in the history of F1," he insisted.

"They have won before and hopefully they remember how," said Sainz.

"Little by little, in a medium-term project, they will start climbing the steps to the top."

And 24-year-old Sainz said he intends to be at McLaren throughout that climb back to the top, despite having only a contract for 2019 and 2020.

"I have a two-year agreement with the team, but as a driver and also a fan of McLaren, I want to see the team grow," he said.

"I want to do a good first year and a good start when it comes to integrating into the McLaren family, but my goal at the moment is to spend several years here.

"I will go from year to year, but I want to be one of the key pieces that will help McLaren get back to the top," added Sainz.