Charles Leclerc Would Follow Carlos Sainz’s Father’s Footsteps if F1 Was Not an Option

Although Charles Leclerc has been passionate about single-seater racing since childhood, he is open to trying other forms of motorsport. Earlier this year, the Monegasque talked about wanting to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, following Ferrari’s triumph at the iconic event. Another option he has revealed is to follow in Carlos Sainz’s father’s footsteps and try rallying.

“Probably the World Rally Championship,” Leclerc replied when asked at the FIA gala what series he would like to participate in, if not F1. “This is something I’d like to do one day and it’s pretty special to be racing those cars”.

“what series would you race if not your own?”
charles: probably the world rally championship. this is something i’d like to do one day and it’s pretty special to be racing those cars pic.twitter.com/ZvQ2L7OUaW

— clara (@leclercsletters) December 21, 2024

Leclerc may have gained an interest in rallying because of Carlos Sainz Sr., who is a two-time world rally champion. Sainz Sr. won both his titles with Toyota back in 1990 and 1992. He has recorded an impressive 26 wins and 97 podiums in the World Rally Championship (WRC).

In recent years, he has mainly focused on the Dakar Rally, which happens annually in January. The Spanish veteran has won Dakar thrice in the past seven years, which is a terrific achievement for a racer in his late 50s and 60s.

Sainz has often been supporting his father at the annual event, and if Leclerc has an interest in rallying, he may accompany his good friend to witness Sainz Sr.’s heroics in the dusty, windy conditions in the desert. However, the injury risk that the 62-year-old deals with may dampen the Monegasque drivers’s rallying interests.

Career-threatening injuries have also not stopped Sainz Sr. from racing

It was in January 2023, when Sainz Sr. suffered a horrific crash at the Dakar Rally that resulted in him fracturing two vertebrae. After the crash, he also reported severe chest pain and some pain in the right side of his torso. As a result, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital. However, the racer in him wanted to return to the track, and he asked the pilot to get him back to his car.

But the impact of the crash was such that he was unable to return to the track and race further. After carrying out subsequent tests, he issued an update to his fans via social media, informing them of his health condition.

“On my return to Madrid from the Dakar Rally, the back pain I suffered after the incident of this year’s event persisted longer than usual. Following medical advice, I underwent further checks to assess in detail the extent of the injury. Unfortunately, the results haven’t brought good news because I fractured the T5 and T6 vertebrae,” he wrote.

Hello everyone,

On my return to Madrid from the Dakar Rally, the back pain I suffered after the incident of this year’s event persisted longer than usual. Following medical advice, I underwent further checks to assess in detail the extent of the injury. […]

— Carlos Sainz (@CSainz_oficial) January 16, 2023

Despite such a serious accident, the 62-year-old continues to compete at the highest level in rallying and hasn’t shown any signs of retiring as of yet. On top of that, he recently took part in an F1 track day as well, which was organized by Ferrari to bid farewell to his son.