Carlos Sainz has shared new details about the now-famous van journey he made with Charles Leclerc, a trip that quickly went viral on social media after their flight to Nice was diverted following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. What initially looked like a weather problem soon turned into an adventure that fans around the world couldn’t stop talking about.
On Sunday, both Sainz and Leclerc faced an unexpected change of plans on their way home. Instead of arriving smoothly in Nice, their plane was diverted, which forced the two drivers to rent a van and make the road trip together. Although they are no longer teammates at Ferrari, Sainz and Leclerc have often mentioned that they continue to travel together during race weekends, maintaining a close friendship off the track.
The journey immediately captured fans’ attention when Charles Leclerc shared videos of the chaotic trip online. The clips showed Carlos Sainz behind the wheel, while Leclerc filmed the whole situation with great amusement, creating a lighthearted moment that quickly spread across social media platforms.
On Monday, before flying out to Singapore with Williams, Sainz stopped at the team’s Grove headquarters. It was there that he decided to clarify exactly what had happened during that trip, adding further behind-the-scenes details that had not been revealed before.
“Charles was having fun recording me because he found it hilarious to see me driving a van,” Carlos Sainz explained. “For him it was just something really unusual.”
Sainz went on to describe how the drama began while they were still in the air: “We were about to land in Nice when the captain told us that there was a very violent storm approaching. He asked us if we wanted to divert the flight. He warned us that the landing in Nice could be quite bumpy, and suggested that if he were us, we should land in Genoa instead and drive for two hours.”
According to Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc instantly opted for the diversion. The Spaniard, however, had other ideas. “I wanted to take the risk. I could handle a bit of turbulence, but clearly Charles couldn’t,” he joked.
Once they landed in Genoa, the surprise twist came. The two former Ferrari teammates soon discovered that other pilots on flights into Nice had landed without any diversions or difficulties. “I looked at Charles and I could have killed him,” Sainz said, laughing as he recalled the moment. “He actually got angry with himself and admitted I was right.”
The pair then moved on to the next challenge: renting a car. Sainz recalled the process as painfully slow. “There was this girl calmly typing on the keyboard, checking all the possible scenarios and discounts. She didn’t seem to understand that we were willing to pay anything just to get home. Finally, she gave us a car—and it turned out to be this old ‘thing,’ the van you saw in the video.”
When it came to deciding who should drive, Sainz took control. “I told Charles that since he had chosen to divert to Genoa and I had accepted it, it was up to me to drive. I trust my skills, and honestly, I was still annoyed at him for the diversion. So I kind of forced the issue. I told him, ‘You sit down and keep quiet until we get home!’”
Despite the frustration, the entire situation ended up being a bonding experience. Their road trip highlighted once again the strong relationship between the two, even after going their separate ways in Formula 1 teams. Fans were delighted to see this lighter side of two drivers usually seen battling at the highest level of motorsport, and the video quickly became one of the most popular F1 off-track moments of the week.
View this post on Instagram
Leave a Reply