While for some having famous parents can be a gateway to a great career, for others it can become a real wall to overcome. Constant comparisons, expectations to repeat successes, and to extend the family legacy are realities that Carlos Sainz Junior had to face from the beginning of his career. And it might seem that when he finally proved he was not just “Carlos Sainz’s son,” his career would finally gain momentum. However, fate decided to turn the constant comparisons to his outstanding father into statements that “someone else would be a better choice.”
Read more Great financial results of Mercedes in F1 in 2025
Carlos Sainz Junior lived in the shadow of a great name from a very young age. His father – Carlos Sainz Senior – is one of the greatest legends of motorsport. A two-time World Rally Champion and multiple Dakar Rally winner, he built his position over the years as one of the most outstanding drivers in the history of the discipline. For the young Spaniard, having a parent who achieved so much meant constant comparisons, which he had to get used to in the early stages of his career. Right from the start, he had to face the necessity of proving his worth and building his own identity. However, Sainz Junior decided to choose the asphalt tracks, where he debuted at the age of 11 as a karting driver.
Carlos Sainz’s Road to Formula 1
In 2010, he joined the Red Bull Racing Junior Team and debuted in the Formula BMW series the same year. From the perspective of building his own image, the third place he achieved at the Barcelona track was very important, as it attracted the attention of the Spanish media, showing that he intended to create an individual racing driver career. The following year, he regularly stood on the podium and won in another junior series – Formula Renault 2.0. The next seasons brought more series where he again often finished in high positions. The real showcase of the young Spaniard’s skills was his start in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014, together with the French DAMS team. He won already in the first race weekend at Monza, becoming the youngest winner of the series at the age of 20. Further triumphs led him to beat Pierre Gasly by the end of the season and thus become the series champion, which brought him the long-awaited “promotion” to Formula 1. Winning this championship was also the first moment when Carlos began to function as an independent driver, not just the son of a rally legend.
Carlos Sainz’s First Seasons in Formula 1
Carlos Sainz debuted in F1 in 2015 with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team, and his teammate was Max Verstappen. The Spaniard scored points in his first race, finishing ninth in the Australian Grand Prix. In total, in his debut season, he finished in the top ten seven times, but an unreliable car caused him to retire from as many races. The experience gained meant that in the following season Carlos scored 28 points more in the overall standings. The year after, the Spaniard had a high seventh place in the Monaco GP and fourth in Singapore, but the still unreliable car and two retirements meant that four weekends before the end of the season, with the consent of both parties, he signed a contract with Renault and finished the 2017 season there.
It might have seemed that from this moment Sainz’s career would gain momentum, as he finished the seasons with the French team in ninth and tenth place in the overall standings, with his best result being fifth place in the Azerbaijan GP. However, here we come to the first situation in the Spaniard’s career when he was faced with the fact that his contract would not be extended for the next year because Daniel Ricciardo would take his place. Undoubtedly, it was a headline transfer, as the Australian was leaving the Red Bull team after years, despite already having a contract “on the table” there. This meant Carlos had to look for a place if he wanted to stay on the grid.
The offer came from McLaren, where he was to become the team leader after another outstanding Spaniard – Fernando Alonso – left, and his new teammate was 20-year-old Lando Norris. With the British team, Carlos retired from five races in total over two seasons and did not start in one. The real success was the first podium in the Spaniard’s career – third place in the 2019 Brazilian GP, as well as second place in the 2020 Italian GP. Sainz regularly scored points and finished sixth in the drivers’ standings overall. And when it seemed he had finally found a team where he could develop his career, Daniel Ricciardo once again stood in his way, taking his place at McLaren. The situation was particularly difficult because it began to resemble the one at Renault. Carlos again showed solid form, regularly scored points, yet was replaced by a more media-friendly name.
Read more History of the first sponsors in Formula 1
Move to Ferrari
This time, however, fate smiled on him, as the offer came from Scuderia Ferrari. Becoming a driver for the most legendary team on the grid meant that Carlos’s talent was recognized, and he quickly proved that great achievements only require a good car. In his debut season with the Italian team, he stood on the podium four times, ultimately finishing fifth in the overall standings. But it was the following season that brought the moment he had been waiting for his entire life. At the beginning of July 2022 at Silverstone, he first secured pole position by 0.072 seconds over second-placed Max Verstappen, and the next day he was the first to cross the finish line, winning his first race in his career. Additionally, very good performances by the Spaniard and his teammate – Charles Leclerc – meant that in 2022 Ferrari became the runners-up in the Constructors’ Championship. The 2023 and 2024 seasons had a similar course for Sainz – he regularly scored points, stood on the podium, including three times on the top step. The year 2024 was particularly significant because from the very beginning Scuderia emerged as the favorite for the championship, and both drivers showed outstanding form at the start. However, it was then that the paddock was shaken by news of probably the most headline-grabbing transfer in the new history of F1 – Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari. From the start, it was obvious to everyone who would be replaced by the seven-time world champion. Wins, regular points, or cooperation between drivers on and off the track did not help – Sainz once again had to give up his place for someone “better.” And this is the uniqueness of Carlos’s story. Many drivers lose their place in a team due to poor results. He, however, most often lost it when he was driving well. It is hard to imagine a more frustrating situation for an athlete than knowing they did everything they could, yet their future was decided by factors beyond their control.
Quite an interesting aspect is the fact that until the 2026 Spanish GP, Carlos Sainz remained the last race winner for the Italian team. His triumph in the Mexican GP on October 27, 2024, was the last moment for nearly two years when we could see a Ferrari driver on the top step of the podium.
Forced Move to Williams and Summary
Since last season, the Spaniard has been driving for another legendary team – Williams. Despite having a much weaker car, he managed to stand on the podium twice – in Baku and Qatar. These achievements helped the British team finish in a very high fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. However, regulation changes, factory delays, and missing the first pre-season tests made the start of this season very difficult for Sainz (literally, as the car had about 26 kg of excess weight at the beginning of the season). Nevertheless, Carlos scored points three times, which in the given situation can be considered quite a success. His contract is valid until the end of this season, and so far we do not know what the Spaniard’s future in F1 will look like.
Carlos Sainz’s story shows that sometimes the biggest opponent is not the rivals on the track but the labels imposed by others. First, he had to prove he was more than just the son of an outstanding rally driver, and when he managed to do that, he faced an even tougher challenge – the opinion that there will always be someone better. Despite all these difficulties, he came back every time and proved with his results that he has enormous talent but also exceptional mental resilience to further disappointments and rejections.
Read more Approved evolution of power units in F1 in 2027 and 2028
The article was written by Aleksandra Binkowska, you can find her on TikTok – link.
