Carlos Sainz throws down the challenge: “It would be great to race in Macao!”. Carlos Sainz throws down the challenge amid race in Macao.

Who is the best?

In Formula 1, more than in any other motorsport category, the debate about who might be the best driver on the grid is always alive. The reason is simple: in the F1 circus, more so than in other championships, a significant part of the difference comes from the car one drives. Every team principal knows that it’s better to have a lightning-fast car driven by an ‘average’ driver than a midfield car with a prodigy behind the wheel.

Distinguishing the merits of the drivers from those of the race cars has always been an impossible task.

Furthermore, in the Formula 1 competition, especially over the last 15 years, there have been long eras of dominance in which the same team would win almost every time. Often, talented drivers found themselves at the wrong moments in the wrong cars and achieved, in terms of their palmares, less than what would have been possible. An interesting suggestion – albeit difficult to realize – for explicitly showcasing the values of individual Formula 1 drivers came from Carlos Sainz.

In a long and insightful interview on the “P1 with Matt & Tommy” podcast, the Ferrari driver proposed the idea of a challenge for all F1 drivers at the legendary Macao circuit, driving Formula 3 cars.

The Macao Challenge

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“I think once a year we should all go to Macao and race in F3, [with] 20 F1 drivers down there,” suggested the Ferrari driver. When asked how close the drivers would be if they had to race on a circuit like Macao, Carlos Sainz emphasized that the uniqueness of that type of track could lead to slightly wider gaps between the current drivers.

On a traditional Formula 1 circuit, however, with equal equipment, Carlos Sainz was certain that the gaps between different drivers would be extremely minimal: “I think in Macao, it’s different. In Macao, there might be more differences [between drivers]. But on a regular track, let’s say Barcelona, in normal dry conditions, with each of us having six new sets of soft tires like we’ve always done, I don’t think there would be more than half a second between all of us.” – the Ferrari driver concluded.