Carlos Sainz Jr’s career in Formula 1 can be described as a roller coaster. The Spaniard made his debut in the top class alongside Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso in 2015, only to be “betrayed” by the same Red Bull family that had helped him rise through the junior ranks, favoring the Dutch driver over Daniil Kvyat at the start of 2016.
Despite this, the Spanish driver managed to progress over the years, racing for Renault and then McLaren for two years alongside a very young Lando Norris, earning a call from Ferrari in 2021 with his consistent results.
As a guest on the Nude Project podcast, Carlos Sainz admitted he had to learn to be ruthless and fierce on the track, closely following his father Carlos’s teachings: “There’s one piece of advice my father gave me that changed my life a bit because I was always a somewhat innocent child. As a kid, I was a bit naive. I thought I was friends with everyone, that everyone liked me, but the world of motor racing is very tough, very competitive.”
“I started kart racing when I was 12-13 years old. I put on my helmet, and on the track, everyone targeted me. I don’t know if it was because I was Carlos Sainz’s son, but they wanted to beat me.” – he explained.
“In a way, I understand it because at that age you try to stand out, and I imagine their parents told them that I was Carlos Sainz’s son and that beating me meant being very good or standing out. So in every race, they hit me, pushed me off the track.”
“One day my father sat me down and said, ‘Carlos, life is tough, and in this sport, you either bite or get bitten.’ And right now they are biting you. They are making your life difficult. I know you’re a nice guy, you like being friends with everyone, playing football during breaks with the others. But here, you either bite or get bitten. When you put on the helmet, make sure you’re the one biting.”
The Spaniard also admitted it took him a long time to shift his mentality: “It took me a while to go from being the nice guy to saying, ‘Well, if I have to push you off the track, I’ll do it.'”
“I had some complexes because people looked at me more because I was Carlos Sainz’s son, and I was afraid they would say I was a dirty driver. You have a lot of little complexes because they look at you more, and you’re always a bit more careful. But I said screw it, and I started giving my best.”
What it means to carry the Carlos Sainz name
Being the son of a multiple world rally champion and a true motorsport legend in Spain is certainly not an easy burden to bear. However, the Madrid native admitted to undeniably having some advantages thanks to his surname: “To be extremely honest, I think practically ‘being the son of’ is an advantage.”
“I have a father who fortunately was in a good financial situation. He had the money to pay for my karting career and the contacts to get some sponsorship, some help to cover the budget. He has the experience to give you all this advice. Basically, it’s a great thing.” – he pointed out.
“On a theoretical or more personal level, having in mind that you are Carlos Sainz’s son and having that extra pressure once you are in the car and it’s you against the world is not so easy. I am proud to be ‘the son of,’ but you should not underestimate the things that come with having that label and that constant comparison.”
“It’s a phrase I keep hearing even though I am a Ferrari driver and was signed by Red Bull. It’s a label I might never get rid of, but that phrase motivated me back then. Thanks to them, I also won my races in F1, and I wanted to show everyone that I am not here because I am ‘the son of.’ Now I laugh and don’t care anymore.” -Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz concluded.
Source: f1ingenerale
