Carlos Sainz was always labeled as one of the biggest talents in F1 since making his debut alongside Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso in 2015. Sainz, in particular, is a very popular figure in Spain, because many consider him to be the next Spanish driver to win the F1 world championship after Fernando Alonso.
Whenever F1 travels to the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona for the Spanish GP, we see a huge number of Sainz supporters flock to the grandstands. These fans were present when the 28-year-old was driving for Renault, McLaren, and now, Ferrari.
It cannot be denied that Sainz’s popularity drastically increased when he joined the Scuderia and his hopes of winning a world championship are stronger than they’ve ever been. Ahead of this year’s Spanish GP, the Madrid-born driver is expected to receive more support in his home race than he has ever had in his F1 career to date.
Carlos Sainz grandstand gets sold out in less than 30 minutes
At the Circuit de Catalunya, there will be a grandstand that is dedicated to Sainz. This stand had 3,300 seats and each of them cost $190. Fans who bought this ticket would get a Sainz Ferrari cap, a flag, and six bottles of Estrella Galicia 0.0 (Sainz’s personal sponsor).
These tickets got sold out in less than 30 minutes as soon as they went live. One of the major reasons behind these tickets getting sold at a blisteringly quick rate is the fact that they cost just $190, and will cover all three days! Most fans feel that it is a very cheap and fair amount for covering a whole F1 weekend.
Regardless of how the next few races of the 2023 season go, Sainz can expect a huge amount of support from his home fans when F1 travels to Spain in June.
Is Sainz the most popular F1 driver in Spain?
Sainz is definitely one of the most popular athletes in Spain, and is often considered to be the country’s best hope for winning an F1 world championship. This year, however, those expectations may be put on Alonso’s shoulders.
The Oviedo-born driver is arguably the country’s most famous racing driver ever, and at the age of 41, has a chance of fighting at the front again. Despite his huge fan-following, Sainz is arguably not as popular as Alonso is in Spain.
In 2023, Aston Martin have made huge strides and a huge majority of the F1 community feels that they can fight at the front of the grid. In fact, in the opening round in Bahrain last week, the AMR-23 was faster than Ferrari, and Alonso comfortably overtook Sainz to finish P3.
If presented with a fast and competitive car, most of the Spanish F1 fanbase will put their money on Alonso to bring home yet another world championship.
