Carlos Sainz’s 2025 Saudi Arabian GP weekend got a little brighter with the presence of his girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson, who returned to the paddock after spending a considerable amount of time away from the sport.
Throughout last year, Donaldson was a fairly regular presence in Sainz’s garage, which earned her recognition within the F1 community. However, in 2025, she had only attended the season-opening Australian GP until her appearance in Jeddah.
Veteran photojournalist Kym Illman first reported Donaldson’s presence in the Jeddah Corniche Circuit paddock yesterday. Today, he shared pictures of Sainz kissing the Scottish model on her cheek.
Taking to Instagram, Illman wrote, “Did they walk the entire length of the paddock kissing like that? No, it was just a spur of the moment bit of fun for my lens.”
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A short kiss, according to Illman, but one that showed how happy Sainz was to have Donaldson back by his side. But why did Donaldson miss the three races between Melbourne and Jeddah? Most likely, she was busy with her own modeling commitments, having successfully carved out a career for herself in the fashion industry.
She would now be hoping for a positive weekend for Sainz, which does seem to be the case so far, with the Madrid-born driver securing a P6 starting spot for the race later today. Donaldson wasn’t the only F1 WAG to make a return this weekend.
P6 in Jeddah and his highest Qualifying position with the team
VAMOS, CARLOS ️#DrivenByMyprotein @Myprotein pic.twitter.com/aKMSVBSj2X
— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) April 19, 2025
Charles Leclerc’s partner, Alexandra Saint-Mleux, was also in Jeddah and caught up with Donaldson, as seen in an Instagram story posted by the Scottish model, where she tagged the Monegasque’s girlfriend. The two were enjoying matchas brought from Japan. Donaldson and Saint-Mleux developed a close friendship during Sainz’s time at Ferrari.
The Spaniard spent four seasons with the Maranello-based outfit before making the move to Williams this year, paving the way for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Sainz’s start to life at the Grove-based team hasn’t been entirely smooth, but he now seems to be slowly finding his feet.
