Carlos Sainz Jr. | |
|---|---|
_(cropped2).jpg) Sainz at the2022 Austrian Grand Prix | |
| Born | Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro[a] (1994-09-01)1 September 1994 (age 30) Madrid, Spain |
| Parent | Carlos Sainz Sr. (father) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Spanish |
| 2025 team | Williams-Mercedes[1] |
| Car number | 55 |
| Entries | 211 (208 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Career points | 1273.5 |
| Pole positions | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| First entry | 2015 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2022 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2025 Chinese Grand Prix |
| 2024 position | 5th (290 pts) |
| Previous series | |
| Championship titles | |
| Website | www |
| Signature | |
 | |
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro[a] (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈkaɾlosˈsajnθˈβaθkeθðeˈkastɾo]ⓘ; born 1 September 1994) is a Spanishracing driver, who competes inFormula One forWilliams. Sainz has won fourFormula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Born inMadrid, Sainz is the son oftwo-time World Rally ChampionCarlos Sainz. Graduating fromkarting tojunior formulae in 2010, Sainz won his first championship at theFormula Renault NEC in2011 withKoiranen, finishing runner-up toRobin Frijns in theEurocup that year. In 2012, Sainz contestedBritish Formula 3, theFormula 3 Euro Series andFIA European Formula 3 withCarlin. Sainz progressed to theGP3 Series withArden in2013, finishing tenth in his rookie season. He then found success in theFormula Renault 3.5 Series, winning the championship in2014 withDAMS.
A member of theRed Bull Junior Team since 2010, Sainz signed withToro Rosso in2015, debuting alongsideMax Verstappen. He remained at Toro Rosso until the2017 United States Grand Prix, where he replacedJolyon Palmer atRenault, having already signed with the team from2018 onwards. Sainz moved toMcLaren in2019, ending his association withRed Bull. He took his maiden podium at theBrazilian Grand Prix that year, followed by another at theItalian Grand Prix in2020. Sainz signed forFerrari in2021, replacingSebastian Vettel to partnerCharles Leclerc. After a winless debut season for Ferrari, Sainz took his maidenpole position andwin at theBritish Grand Prix in2022. He took further wins for Ferrari atSingapore in2023, as well asAustralia andMexico City in2024. Replaced byLewis Hamilton for2025, Sainz joinedWilliams to partnerAlexander Albon.
As of the2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Sainz has achieved four race wins, six pole positions, four fastest laps and 27 podiums in Formula One. Sainz is contracted to remain at Williams until at least the end of the 2026 season.[1]
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro[a] was born on 1 September 1994 inMadrid, Spain, to fatherCarlos Sainz and his wife Reyes Vázquez de Castro. His father is arally driver, who won theWorld Rally Championship twice in1990 and1992, with 26rally victories.[3] Eventually, as Sainz Jr. got older, his father mentored him throughout his journey which led to him getting in to F1 racing.
In 2016, Sainz was named Ambassador ofMaría de Villota's Legacy, as he was coached by her at driving school in Madrid.[4] He has spoken about how he was personally affected by her death in 2013, and he has kept a star on his helmet since 2014 in honor of her.[4]
Sainz dated fellow Spaniard Isabel Hernáez from 2017 until 2023.[5][6] As of 2024 he is dating Scottish model Rebecca Donaldson.[7]
He has lived in bothMadrid and inLondon.[8] He also maintains a residence inMonaco.[9] Sainz was robbed of his watch in Milan in 2023 but he ran and captured his assailant.[10][11]
His personal car collection includes severalFerraris: theF8 Tributo,[12]812 Competizione,[13][14] andDaytona SP3.[15]
Sainz started his career in karting in 2006, after participating in smaller series, in 2008, he won the Asia-PacificKF3 title, as well as finishing runner-up in theSpanish Championship.[16] In 2009, he also won theJunior Monaco Kart Cup, and was runner-up in the European KF3 Championship.[16] While at driving school in Madrid, he was coached byMaría de Villota.[4]
Sainz raced inFormula BMW Europe in2010 with theEuroInternational team. He was also part of theRed Bull Junior Team programme. He made his Formula BMW debut during a guest drive in theFormula BMW Pacific series atSepang, Malaysia where he was ineligible to score points as a guest driver. However, he placed second in the opening race in Malaysia. That debut was followed by a 4th place. The following race day, he retired from the first race but won the second race. He finished 7th in the following race. He missed the next race in China but returned to Singapore. He finished 6th in the first race and 2nd in the second race. He missed the Japanese races but returned to win the season finale in Macau. Overall, in 9 races he achieved 3 pole positions, 2 wins, and 2 fastest laps.
In Formula BMW Europe, he started his career with a podium position of 3rd and 6th place at the Circuit de Catalunya. At Zandvoort, he took 5th and 2nd place. At Valencia, he scored 7th and 10th place. A weekend at Silverstone saw him take 3rd place and a victory in the following race, his first that season. Hockenheim saw him take 11th and 6th place. A 4th and a podium position of 3rd.Robin Frijns was on a charge, scoring a podium position in every race but 3, two of which he finished in 4th. A double retirement at Spa put him out of championship contention. An 8th and 6th at the season finale at Monza followed. He finished the season 4th with 227 points.
Sainz also competed in the UK Formula Renault Winter Cup, finishing 6th in the first race and retiring from the second race at Snetterton.
During the 2012 season, Sainz raced in bothBritish andEuro Series Formula 3 championships. Racing forCarlin, he won four races, finished nine times on the podium, as well as scoring a pole position in the British championship, finishing sixth overall in the final championship standings. He scored two podiums and two pole positions in the Euro Series championship, finishing in ninth position overall.
In 2013, Sainz signed withArden to compete in the GP3 series. During the first qualifying session of the year, he qualified in 5th place, 5 tenths off of pole sitterKevin Korjus. However, he, as well asAlex Fontana andPatrick Kujala, were penalised 10 places for ignoringyellow flags during free practice. During the beginning of race one, Sainz got up to 13th place by passing Alex Fontana andJimmy Eriksson off the start. By the start of lap 3, he was 13 seconds behind the leader. Sainz made it up to 8th place with his teammateDaniil Kvyat until both cars lacked grip. Because they were both pushing to get into the top ten for points, neither driver decided to manage their Pirelli tyres and so by the end of the race, Kvyat was 20th and Sainz was 15th. He finished 51 seconds off first placed manTio Ellinas.
Sainz started in 15th place for race 2 on Sunday morning. At the end of lap 1, he was in 9th place. As they approached lap 2, the safety car was deployed due to an accident behind, giving Sainz time to save his tyres. With 5 laps remaining, Sainz was up to 8th place. During the next lap, he put a move on Jack Harvey's ART car to move up into 7th place. Sainz eventually would finish in 7th place. However, post race investigating revealed that Sainz's car was underweight, so he was disqualified from the final results from race 2, thus scoring no points. His teammate, Kvyat, retired during the race due to contact with another driver.
In Valencia, Sainz began, and finished, the race in 8th place. In race 2, he started in 4th place and got up to 3rd place by the end of lap 1. He remained in that position, scoring a podium for the first time in GP3. Sainz obtained 24 world championship points, 4 for fastest laps in both races. He was now in 6th place in the championship overall.
During the first race in Silverstone, Sainz was squeezed off track, falling to 9th place. By mid distance, Sainz overtookLewis Williamson to get into 8th place. Williamson then moved alongside Sainz to try and overtake but Sainz kept moving over towards him until there was contact. Williamson was sent into a spin whilst Sainz continued to circulate round the track. Due to the damage to his car, Sainz fell down the order until he crossed the finish line in 13th place. In race 2, he finished where he started, in 13th place.
Sainz raced inFormula Renault 3.5 for the first time in 2013.[17] However, he missed several races in his first season[18] most likely due to his commitment towards GP3. InMonaco, he finished 6th place, most probably due to a challenging start to his GP3 season. He then experienced a double retirement inSpa. He also missed the races inMoscow andAustria. However, he made a comeback inHungary, securing a 7th-place finish in Race 1. In Race 2, he faced several issues and finished in 22nd place. In France, at theCircuit de Paul Ricard, he had another double retirement. In the last race weekend of the year inCatalunya, he retired in race 1 but managed to score 6th place.
In 2014, he switched teams toDAMS. In the season opener atMonza, he finished 18th in the first race but won the second. He left Monza with 25 points, beating his previous seasons' score by 3 points. Another win at Aragon meant he doubled his score and in race 2, he finished in 4th. Another 4th place followed at the one race in Monaco. The weekend at Spa followed with another 2 wins. Moscow followed. 14th and 6th meant that he only took 8 points from a possible 50. At the Nürburgring GP Circuit, he won race 1 but in race 2, he retired. In Hungary, he was no match forRoberto Merhi who led by half a minute from the rest of the field in the wet. Another 6th place followed in race 2. In France, he won and scored a total of 50 points to extend his championship lead over Merhi.
Sainz became part of theRed Bull Junior Team in 2010.[19] His first experience in a Formula One car came at the young drivers' test atSilverstone Circuit in July 2013, where he drove both theToro Rosso STR8 and theRed Bull RB9.[20][21] Sainz confirmed that discussions had taken place with the strugglingCaterham team for a race debut during the2014 season but, ultimately, no agreement was reached.[22] As a reward for his Formula Renault 3.5 Series title, Sainz drove theRed Bull RB10 in the post-season test after the2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[23]
Sainz drove forScuderia Toro Rosso in the2015 season where he partneredMax Verstappen, followingDaniil Kvyat's promotion toRed Bull.[24] Sainz selected 55 as his race number. He qualified inside the top ten for his debut, theAustralian Grand Prix, and finished the race in ninth position.[25] He scored points again at theMalaysian Grand Prix, but failed to score at theChinese Grand Prix after spinning and then retired from theBahrain Grand Prix with a wheel issue. He qualified fifth at theSpanish Grand Prix, his highest grid position of the year, and finished the race ninth. He was forced to start theMonaco Grand Prix from the pit lane after failing to attend the weigh-bridge during qualifying. He recovered to tenth place in the race.[26]
Four consecutive retirements began with electrical failures at theAustrian andBritish Grands Prix, then a fuel pressure issue at theHungarian Grand Prix and a power unit issue at theBelgian Grand Prix. A 150km/h and 46g impact into the barriers during practice for theRussian Grand Prix resulted in Sainz spending the night in hospital.[27] He missed qualifying but was declared fit to race, however he failed to finish after a brake failure.[28] He crashed in qualifying for theUnited States Grand Prix and started from last place, but gained ten positions on the first lap and went on to record his best finish of the year with seventh place. Sainz finished his debut season fifteenth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 18 points to teammate Verstappen's 49.[29]
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Toro Rosso retained Sainz and Verstappen for the2016 championship. Sainz qualified seventh and finished ninth at the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix, but retired from theBahrain Grand Prix due to a collision withSergio Pérez. After theRussian Grand Prix, Sainz gained a new teammate inDaniil Kvyat as Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull. Three points finishes followed for Sainz, including his best career finish with sixth place at theSpanish Grand Prix and a drive from twentieth to ninth place at theCanadian Grand Prix. After a suspension-related retirement at theEuropean Grand Prix, Sainz recorded three consecutive eighth-place finishes.
A run of six races without points followed, including retirement due to a puncture at theBelgian Grand Prix and a first-lap collision withNico Hülkenberg at theSingapore Grand Prix having started sixth. Sainz equalled his best race result at theUnited States Grand Prix with sixth place and scored the same result at theBrazilian Grand Prix after starting fifteenth. He retired from the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix due to a collision withJolyon Palmer. Sainz ended the season twelfth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 46 of Toro Rosso's 63 points.[30]
Sainz and Kvyat remained with Toro Rosso for the2017 season. Sainz scored points in the opening two races, but a collision withLance Stroll eliminated him from theBahrain Grand Prix. Both drivers blamed each other for the incident, but Sainz was handed a grid penalty for the next race.[31] Three points finishes followed including sixth place at theMonaco Grand Prix. Sainz was again handed a grid penalty for a first-lap collision withRomain Grosjean andFelipe Massa at theCanadian Grand Prix.[32] Sainz spun on the first lap of theAzerbaijan Grand Prix, attempting to avoid a collision with teammate Kvyat, and recovered to finish eighth.[33]
Prior to theAustrian Grand Prix, Sainz commented that it was "unlikely" he would remain with Toro Rosso for a fourth year.[34] Red Bull team principalChristian Horner rejected this, stating that Sainz would race for Toro Rosso in2018.[35] Sainz retired from the Austrian Grand Prix with an engine problem[36] and was eliminated on the first lap of theBritish Grand Prix after a collision with Kvyat.[37] Prior to theSingapore Grand Prix it was announced that Sainz would joinRenault for 2018, on loan from Red Bull.[38] He finished the race in a career-best fourth place, in what he described as his "best day in Formula One".[39] He was joined at Toro Rosso byPierre Gasly for theMalaysian Grand Prix after Kvyat was dropped by the team.[40] Sainz retired from the race due to an engine problem. He crashed in practice for theJapanese Grand Prix and again on the opening lap of the race.[41] At this stage of the season, Sainz had scored 48 of Toro Rosso's 52 points.[42]
Sainz's move to Renault was brought forward and he replacedJolyon Palmer and partneredNico Hülkenberg at the team for the final four races of 2017, beginning with theUnited States Grand Prix where he started and finished seventh.[43] Sainz made his way from eighth to fifth place on the first lap of theMexican Grand Prix but then spun and had to pit for new tyres. He later retired from the race with steering problems.[44] He failed to finish the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix after he was released from a pit stop with a loose wheel.[45] Sainz ended the 2017 season ninth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 54 points.[46]
Over the first eight races of 2018, Sainz qualified in the top ten at each of them and scored points in all but one, finishing eleventh at theBahrain Grand Prix. These results included theAzerbaijan Grand Prix where he took advantage of a collision between Red Bull teammatesMax Verstappen andDaniel Ricciardo to finish a season-high position of fifth.[47] Sainz described hisMonaco Grand Prix as a "disaster" and criticised the team's tyre strategy having started eighth and finished tenth.[48] He had run in sixth place for much of theFrench Grand Prix but dropped to eighth place at the finish after hisMGU-K failed.[49] Three races without points followed, including a race-ending crash with Romain Grosjean at theBritish Grand Prix and a penalty for overtaking duringsafety car conditions at theGerman Grand Prix.
Sainz scored points at five of the next seven races, including a season's-best qualifying performance of fifth place at theHungarian Grand Prix. Damage received from contact withSergey Sirotkin on the first lap of theRussian Grand Prix resulted in a seventeenth-place finish. Battery issues caused Sainz's retirement from theMexican Grand Prix. He ended the season with a drive from eleventh on the grid to sixth place at theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sainz finished the season tenth in the Drivers' Championship, three places behind teammate Hülkenberg, scoring 53 points to Hülkenberg's 69. Sainz scored points in thirteen out of the nineteen races he finished.[47][50] Sainz was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at Renault for the following season, with the team opting to keep Hülkenberg on instead of Sainz.[51]
Sainz moved toMcLaren for the2019 season, ending his association with Red Bull. He replacedFernando Alonso and partnered rookieLando Norris.[52] Sainz had an unlucky start to the season with no points in the first three races due to an engine fire at theAustralian Grand Prix and first-lap collisions at theBahrain andChinese Grands Prix. Sainz consistently scored points thereafter, often finishing as the highest-placed driver behind the top three teams ofMercedes,Ferrari and Red Bull. He scored points at eight of the next nine races; notable results were finishing eighth at theAustrian Grand Prix having started nineteenth, and fifth place at theGerman Grand Prix despite an incident where he spun and stopped on a wet section of the track.
Sainz encountered power issues and retired on the second lap of theBelgian Grand Prix.[53] At the subsequentItalian Grand Prix, he was forced to retire when a wheel was fitted incorrectly during a pit stop.[54] Then at theSingapore Grand Prix, a collision withNico Hülkenberg and a long pit stop caused him to finish outside the points positions.[55] At theBrazilian Grand Prix, Sainz started in twentieth and last place following an engine problem in qualifying. He had made his way to fifth place by the penultimate lap, which became fourth place whenAlex Albon was spun around byLewis Hamilton ahead. Sainz was later elevated to third place after Hamilton received a penalty, earning him his first podium in Formula One.[56] At the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sainz passed Hülkenberg on the final lap to take tenth place, scoring one point and earning sixth place in the drivers' championship, one point ahead of Pierre Gasly and four ahead of Albon, both of whom spent part of the season in the superior Red Bull.[57] Sainz scored 96 points over the season, compared to 49 for teammate Norris.[58]
Sainz remained at McLaren alongside Norris for 2020, and began the season with a fifth-place finish at theAustrian Grand Prix. He qualified third for theStyrian Grand Prix, his best career qualifying result at that time. A slow pit stop contributed to him dropping to ninth place by the finish, however Sainz achieved his firstfastest lap in Formula One and in doing so set a newRed Bull Ring track record.[59] Sainz was in fourth place with two laps of theBritish Grand Prix remaining but suffered a tyre puncture and was ultimately classified thirteenth. He started the70th Anniversary Grand Prix outside the top ten, but had progressed to fourth place when he entered the pits. A slow pit stop then dropped him back and he went on to finish thirteenth.[60] He finished his home race, theSpanish Grand Prix, in sixth place, but then failed to start theBelgian Grand Prix due to a power unit issue on a reconnaissance lap.[61]
At theItalian Grand Prix, Sainz qualified third behind the twoMercedes drivers. He lost places during the pit stops and was in sixth place when the race wasred-flagged forCharles Leclerc's accident. He passed three cars and benefited from Lewis Hamilton's penalty to move up to second place behind Pierre Gasly with twenty laps remaining. He ultimately finished 0.4 seconds behind Gasly to take his second podium and what was at the time his career best race finish.[62] Sainz retired from the next two races; he was involved in a multi-car start-line accident at theTuscan Grand Prix and then crashed into a wall on the first lap of theRussian Grand Prix. Seven consecutive points finishes then followed. He finished sixth at thePortuguese Grand Prix having briefly led the race after gaining six positions in the first two laps. He started theTurkish Grand Prix in fifteenth place due to a penalty for impeding Sergio Pérez in qualifying, but gained six positions on the first lap and went on to finish fifth.[63] A brake failure in qualifying at theBahrain Grand Prix caused him to qualify fifteenth, but he progressed to fifth place by the end of the race.[64]
Sainz finished the 2020 season sixth in the Drivers' Championship for the second consecutive year. He accumulated 105 points to Norris's 97 and claimed six top-five finishes which, at the time, were both career highs.[65]
Sainz joinedScuderia Ferrari on a two-year contract from the2021 season partneringCharles Leclerc and replacingSebastian Vettel.[66] He qualified and finished in eighth place at theBahrain Grand Prix, his first race for the team.[67] He started eleventh at theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix but progressed to fifth place by the end of the race.[68] He failed to score points at thePortuguese Grand Prix despite starting fifth, stating "we got it wrong with strategy".[69] He took his third career podium and first with Ferrari at theMonaco Grand Prix, where he benefited from Leclerc's failure to start and a pit stop issue forValtteri Bottas to finish second.[70] Tyre wear issues meant neither Ferrari driver scored points at theFrench Grand Prix.[71][72] Sainz recovered from a twelfth-place start at theStyrian Grand Prix to finish sixth. A collision withGeorge Russell on the first lap of sprint qualifying at theBritish Grand Prix dropped Sainz to the back of the field,[73] but he recovered places in sprint qualifying and in the race to finish sixth.
Sainz crashed in qualifying for theHungarian Grand Prix and started fifteenth.[74] He finished fourth on track, but claimed his fourth career podium finish after Sebastian Vettel's disqualification.[75][76] He achieved his then-career-best qualifying position at theRussian Grand Prix, starting second, and took the lead from former teammate Lando Norris on the first lap. Sainz went on to finish the race third.[77] He recovered to eighth place at theTurkish Grand Prix having started from the back of the grid due to engine component penalties. Sainz achieved his fourth podium of the season at theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, but criticised the handling of the final-lap restart as being positioned behind lapped cars "nearly cost [him his] podium".[78]
Sainz ended the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 164.5 points, two positions and 5.5 points ahead of teammate Leclerc. His ability to adapt quickly to Ferrari and his performances relative to Leclerc were widely praised.[79][80][81]
Sainz continued at Ferrari alongside Leclerc for 2022. He qualified third for the season-openingBahrain Grand Prix.[82] He ran in third place until Max Verstappen's retirement, allowing him into second place behind Leclerc to claim a Ferrari 1–2 finish and an early lead in theConstructors' Championship.[83] A mistake and then ared flag in qualifying at theAustralian Grand Prix meant he started in ninth place.[84] He dropped places at the start and then spun into the gravel, ending his race on lap two. He crashed in qualifying for theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix and then a collision with Daniel Ricciardo ended his race at the first corner. He finished fourth at theSpanish Grand Prix, his best ever result at his home race, despite having earlier spun and dropped to eleventh.[85][86] Sainz qualified and finished second at theMonaco Grand Prix, but a hydraulics issue caused his third retirement of the year at theAzerbaijan Grand Prix. He was runner-up at theCanadian Grand Prix, less than a second behind Verstappen.[87]
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For his 150th Formula One race start, theBritish Grand Prix, Sainz took his first Formula Onepole position in a wet qualifying session, beating Verstappen by 0.034 seconds. He was overtaken in the race by Verstappen, but regained the lead when Verstappen slowed with damage. He pitted for soft tyres in the closing laps and passed Leclerc to claim his maiden win in Formula One.[88] Sainz was running third at theAustrian Grand Prix when an engine failure ended his race. He started at the back of the grid at theFrench Grand Prix after taking new engine components and finished fifth despite a time penalty for an unsafe pit release. He took his second pole position at theBelgian Grand Prix, promoted to the front as Verstappen took an engine penalty, but dropped behind both Red Bulls to finish third.[89]
Sainz finished fifth at theDutch Grand Prix but was demoted to eighth by a penalty for an unsafe pit release. He started eighteenth at theItalian Grand Prix with an engine component penalty but recovered to finish fourth. At the rain-affectedJapanese Grand Prix, he crashed out from third place on the opening lap. He claimed his third pole position at theUnited States Grand Prix, but retired with damage after being hit by George Russell at the first corner.[90] After the final race, Sainz had matched his 2021 position with fifth in the Drivers' Championship and scored 246 points to Leclerc's 308.
Sainz signed a contract extension until the end of 2024.[91]
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Sainz began the 2023 season by qualifying and finishing fourth at theBahrain Grand Prix. He finished fourth at theAustralian Grand Prix but was penalised and demoted to twelfth place for making contact with Fernando Alonso at the second restart. Sainz criticised the penalty as being "unfair" and Alonso agreed that it was too harsh;[92][93] Ferrari lodged a formal protest against the decision but were unsuccessful.[94] Sainz qualified third at theMiami Grand Prix but finished fifth. He crashed in practice at theMonaco Grand Prix and spun during the race, dropping him from fourth at the start to eighth at the finish.[95][96] He qualified second at his home race, theSpanish Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen. He was unable to hold off the Mercedes cars or Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez and finished the race fifth, later commenting that tyre degradation was a weakness ofhis team's car.[97]
Sainz crashed in practice at theCanadian Grand Prix and was then penalised for impeding Pierre Gasly in qualifying, causing him to start the race eleventh.[98][99] He recovered to finish fifth. He started theBritish Grand Prix fifth, however both Ferrari drivers made pit stops prior to a safety car period that other drivers took advantage of, dropping Sainz to tenth place at the finish line. At theHungarian Grand Prix, he crashed in practice and then qualified eleventh. He scored points by finishing the race eighth. He scored points again by finishing fourth in theBelgian Grand Prix sprint, but retired from the main race due to damage from a first-lap collision withOscar Piastri. He achieved his first pole position of the year at theItalian Grand Prix, 0.013 seconds ahead of Verstappen.[100] He was passed by both Red Bulls during the race but defended from teammate Leclerc to finish third, his first podium of the season.[101] He took pole position again at the next race, theSingapore Grand Prix,[102] and converted this into his second Formula One victory. This ended Red Bull's streak of fifteen consecutive wins and Max Verstappen's win streak of ten, and marked the only race of 2023 not won by Red Bull. Sainz led the entire race distance and he and former teammate Lando Norris held off Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps.[103]
Sainz scored points in theQatar Grand Prix sprint, but qualified twelfth for the main race and then failed to start due to a fuel leak.[104] He finished fourth at theUnited States Grand Prix but was promoted to the podium after Hamilton's disqualification. He qualified second at theMexico City Grand Prix to make an all-Ferrari front row, but both cars were overtaken by Verstappen and Hamilton in the race. At the inauguralLas Vegas Grand Prix, Sainz hit a loosemanhole cover in practice, causing the first practice session to be cancelled and the second to be delayed so that officials could inspect the rest of the track. He went on to qualify second behind Leclerc, but the damage to his car had required Ferrari to replace components and resulted in a ten-place grid penalty, which Ferrari team principalFrédéric Vasseur described as "unacceptable".[105] Sainz finished the race sixth. He crashed in practice at the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix and placed sixteenth in qualifying, after which he accused other drivers of deliberately impeding him.[106] Ferrari left him out on track until the final lap in the hope of a safety car, but with no chance of scoring points, the team retired his car in the pits. Sainz described the result, which dropped him from fourth in the Drivers' Championship before the race to seventh, as "very disappointing".[107] He ended his third season with Ferrari on 200 points to Leclerc's 206.
At theBahrain Grand Prix, Sainz began the 2024 season by qualifying fourth and finishing on the podium in third, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. During theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, Sainz fell ill withappendicitis and was unable to participate. While he took part in FP1 and FP2, he missed the rest of the weekend to undergo surgery; he was replaced by reserve driverOliver Bearman.[108] Having recovered from his surgery, Sainz returned at theAustralian Grand Prix, qualifying second. He capitalised on Max Verstappen's retirement to win the race ahead of Leclerc, marking Sainz's third Formula One race victory and the first Ferrari one-two finish since the2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.[109] He took another podium finish at theJapanese Grand Prix, passing Leclerc to finish third.[110]
After 3 races without a podium Sainz finished third at theMonaco Grand Prix taking his 4th podium of the season. He would follow this result up by retiring from theCanadian Grand Prix after he spun intoAlex Albon. Sainz then finished a frustrating 6th at hishome grand prix but bounced back by finishing third at theAustrian Grand Prix even though he benefitted from Max Verstappen's andLando Norris's collision to get the final podium place.
Sainz's next 3 races consisted of 5th place at theBritish Grand Prix, 6th place at theHungarian Grand Prix and 6th at theBelgian Grand Prix meaning at the summer break Sainz sat 5th in the championship with 162 points.
Sainz scored a second-place at theUnited States Grand Prix and won theMexico City Grand Prix from pole position, before crashing out of the rain-affectedSão Paulo Grand Prix. He recorded a third-place at theLas Vegas Grand Prix and sixth inQatar. At the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, he finished on the podium to clinch fifth-place in the championship on a career-best 290 points.
Sainz left Ferrari after the 2024 season and was replaced by Lewis Hamilton for2025.[111] After his departure, Ferrari rewarded him with his race-winningF1-75 chassis from 2022.[112]
Replaced byLewis Hamilton atFerrari, Sainz joinedWilliams from2025 onwards on a two-year deal, partnered byAlexander Albon.[113] He crashed on the first lap of the rain-affectedAustralian Grand Prix undersafety car conditions.[114] InChina, Sainz finished seventeenth in the sprint and tenth in the main race after disqualifications forCharles Leclerc,Lewis Hamilton, andPierre Gasly.[115]
In February 2025, Sainz was appointed as a director of theGrand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), the Formula One drivers' trade union. He replacedSebastian Vettel, who retired fromFormula One at the end of2022.[116] As a director, Sainz's primary role is to relay the paddock's concerns about safety, racing quality, and the junior driver pipeline to the GPDA's full-time personnel.
Sainz owns a hamburger restaurant in Madrid named Boogie Burger which he started in June 2023 with a group of friends.[117]
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Torneo Industrie — Minikart | 3rd | |
| Copa de Campeones — Cadet | 2nd | ||
| 2007 | Spanish Championship —KF3 | 11th | |
| Torneo Industrie —KF3 | 12th | ||
| Copa de Campeones —KF3 | 6th | ||
| CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship —KF3 | 3rd | ||
| 2008 | South Garda Winter Cup —KF3 | NC | |
| Trofeo Andrea Margutti —KF3 | 7th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship —KF3 | NC | ||
| WSK International Series —KF3 | 16th | ||
| Monaco Kart Cup —KF3 | Genikart-LTP | 12th | |
| CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship —KF3 | 1st | ||
| 2009 | South Garda Winter Cup —KF3 | Tony Kart Junior Racing Team | 5th |
| Trofeo Andrea Margutti —KF3 | Genikart-LTP | 7th | |
| Spanish Championship —KF3 | 2nd | ||
| German Karting Championship — Junior | KSM Racing Team | 12th | |
| CIK-FIA European Championship —KF3 | Tony Kart Junior Racing Team | 2nd | |
| CIK-FIA World Cup —KF3 | 24th | ||
| WSK International Series —KF3 | 3rd | ||
| Monaco Kart Cup —KF3 | Genikart-LTP | 1st | |
| Sources:[118][119] | |||
† As Sainz was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | EuroInternational | CAT 1 3 | CAT 2 6 | ZAN 1 5 | ZAN 2 2 | VAL 1 7 | VAL 2 10 | SIL 1 3 | SIL 2 1 | HOC 1 11 | HOC 2 6 | HUN 1 4 | HUN 2 3 | SPA 1 Ret | SPA 2 Ret | MNZ 1 8 | MNZ 2 6 | 4th | 227 |
| Source:[citation needed] | |||||||||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | D.C. | Points | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Epsilon Euskadi | ALC | ALC | SPA | SPA | BRN | BRN | MAG | MAG | HUN | HUN | HOC | HOC | SIL 1 3 | SIL 2 18 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tech 1 Racing | CAT 1 Ret | CAT 2 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Koiranen GP | ALC 1 1 | ALC 2 2 | SPA 1 1 | SPA 2 3 | NÜR 1 2 | NÜR 2 2 | HUN 1 8 | HUN 2 14 | SIL 1 27 | SIL 2 6 | LEC 1 3 | LEC 2 2 | CAT 1 2 | CAT 2 2 | 2nd | 200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[citation needed] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Koiranen GP | HOC 1 3 | HOC 2 1 | HOC 3 1 | SPA 1 1 | SPA 2 3 | NÜR 1 1 | NÜR 2 1 | ASS 1 1 | ASS 2 8 | ASS 3 2 | OSC 1 3 | OSC 2 1 | ZAN 1 1 | ZAN 2 1 | MST 1 2 | MST 2 1 | MST 3 2 | MNZ 1 18 | MNZ 2 2 | MNZ 3 8 | 1st | 489 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Signature | Volkswagen | LEC 1 | LEC 2 | LEC 3 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | HOC 3 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | ZAN 3 | RBR 1 | RBR 2 | RBR 3 | NOR 1 | NOR 2 | NOR 3 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | NÜR 3 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | SIL 3 | VAL 1 | VAL 2 | VAL 3 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 Ret | HOC 3 5 | NC* | N/A |
| 2012 | Carlin | Volkswagen | HOC 1 2 | HOC 2 5 | HOC 3 2 | BRH 1 4 | BRH 2 6 | BRH 3 4 | RBR 1 16† | RBR 2 7 | RBR 3 5 | NOR 1 Ret | NOR 2 25† | NOR 3 19 | NÜR 1 7 | NÜR 2 15 | NÜR 3 10 | ZAN 1 11 | ZAN 2 9 | ZAN 3 5 | VAL 1 Ret | VAL 2 10 | VAL 3 6 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 13 | HOC 3 11 | 9th | 112 | |||
† Driver did not finish the race but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Carlin | Dallara F312 | Volkswagen | OUL 1 3 | OUL 2 5 | OUL 3 4 | MNZ 1 1 | MNZ 2 8 | MNZ 3 1 | PAU 1 6 | PAU 2 2 | ROC 1 10 | ROC 2 12 | ROC 3 3 | BRH 1 4 | BRH 2 4 | BRH 3 Ret | NOR 1 Ret | NOR 2 25 | NOR 3 19 | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 C | SPA 3 1 | SNE 1 Ret | SNE 2 11 | SNE 3 1 | SIL 1 2 | SIL 2 7 | SIL 3 5 | DON 1 | DON 2 | DON 3 | 6th | 224 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MW Arden | CAT FEA 15 | CAT SPR DSQ | VAL FEA 5 | VAL SPR 3 | SIL FEA 13 | SIL SPR 13 | NÜR FEA 6 | NÜR SPR 5 | HUN FEA 5 | HUN SPR 2 | SPA FEA Ret | SPA SPR 13 | MNZ FEA 9 | MNZ SPR 9 | YMC FEA DSQ | YMC SPR 18 | 10th | 66 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Zeta Corse | MNZ 1 | MNZ 2 | ALC 1 | ALC 2 | MON 1 6 | SPA 1 Ret | SPA 2 18† | MSC 1 | MSC 2 | RBR 1 | RBR 2 | HUN 1 7 | HUN 2 22 | LEC 1 16† | LEC 2 Ret | CAT 1 Ret | CAT 2 6 | 19th | 22 |
| 2014 | DAMS | MNZ 1 18 | MNZ 2 1 | ALC 1 1 | ALC 2 4 | MON 1 4 | SPA 1 1 | SPA 2 1 | MSC 1 14 | MSC 2 6 | NÜR 1 1 | NÜR 2 Ret | HUN 1 4 | HUN 2 6 | LEC 1 1 | LEC 2 1 | JER 1 15 | JER 2 11 | 1st | 227 |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicates fastest lap)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
* Season still in progress.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
(in Spanish)
