Ever since his F1 debut in 2015, Carlos Sainz has shown that he is a pretty competitive racing driver. And while many might not know this, he comes from a rich pedigree of racing drivers given his father, Carlos Sainz Sr.’s own exploits in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
Given their respective racing careers, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the duo are very competitive by nature. However, Sainz Jr.‘s sister has revealed how this often seeps into their personal lives as well.
Ana Sainz narrated, “My father and brother are like all day long “let’s see who’s the best at golf? let’s see who’s the best at padel? let’s see who’s the best at squash? let’s see who is faster… anything they do is a competition,” in a video doing the rounds of X (formerly Twitter).
ana: my father and brother are like all day long “let’s see who’s the best at golf? let’s see who’s the best at padel? let’s see who’s the best at squash? let’s see who is faster… anything they do is a competition.
i know they suffered with carlos² all these years pic.twitter.com/bHfuvWkJI0
— ؘ (@mafiasainz) January 19, 2025
While the duo might get competitive with each other, there is a clear bond of affection between them. In fact, Sainz Sr. has been spotted in the F1 paddock on many occasions, closely cheering his son on.
At the 2024 Australian GP, this relationship was on offer for everyone to see. Sainz Jr. picked up an emotional win for Ferrari while battling his appendicitis surgery, just two weeks ago, and the announcement that the Scuderia had let him go for the 2025 season.
Sainz Sr. also got visibly emotional seeing his son on the top step of the podium, with the video going viral.
Seeing this bond, Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur decided to concoct the perfect send-off for the #55 driver with a special privilege bestowed on Sainz Sr. at the team’s private test track at Fiorano, last year.
Ferrari give the Sainz father-son duo the perfect send-off
Commemorating the Spaniard’s four years with the Maranello-based team, Vasseur planned an event at Fiorano that would see the father-son Sainz duo drive an older-spec Ferrari F1 car together on track.
It was an emotional moment for the Sainz family, with Sainz Sr. being able to taste the prowess of F1 machinery for the first time in his life. “Amazing. I’ve only done one lap, and it’s impressive how it accelerates,” he said of the experience.
But with his Ferrari chapter now in the rear-view mirror, the #55 driver has already set his sights on his latest tenure with Williams. The 30-year-old tested the FW46 at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi last year and recently also dropped a visit to the Grove-based factory of the team to begin his journey as a driver for the iconic British team.
