He’s the matador from Madrid racing royalty.
Entering F1’s Bull Ring paired alongside Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso in 2015, Carlos Sainz quickly showed his fighting spirit. A tenacious racer, Carlos Sainz puts the car on the edge as he hustles his way through the pack. No wonder he’s earned the nickname Chilli.
But the Spanish driver is intelligent as well as instinctive, thinking his way through a race and into the points. This calm temperament follows him off track where he remains unfazed by the pressures of forging a Grand Prix career with a famous name.
Carlos Sainz is the son of double World Rally champion, also his namesake, and has brought some of Dad’s driving skills to the F1 circuit – junior loves a delicious dose of drift for one.
After following in his famous father’s tyre tracks, Carlos had big racing boots to fill at McLaren when he replaced his childhood hero Fernando Alonso. It is never easy living in the shadow of sporting giants, but Carlos has shown the drive and disposition to deal with it. Vamos!
Ferrari knew he was the right man for them. They want someone fast and consistent, so they can bring the constructors’ championship back to Maranello for the first time in more than a decade. They know that if push comes to shove, he has what it takes to step up and take podiums – and wins when he has settled in – picking up the pieces if Charles Leclerc has an off day or unreliability. And they know that he is the kind of driver who will do his talking on the track, while fostering a strong relationship off it.
The perfect scenario for Ferrari is two drivers capable of winning, offering them stability in the medium to long-term. When Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari, he was a de facto number two behind Sebastian Vettel, the team openly admitting the German would be favoured.
By the end of the year, he was clear number one, with a lucrative long-term contract in his pocket, and his former team leader was soon to be out the door. There is absolutely no reason to think Carlos Sainz won’t have the same opportunity to do exactly that when he joins.
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