“As was expected”: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has his personal sponsor’s logo covered during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s personal sponsor ‘Estrella Galicia’s’ logo on his helmet had to be covered during the Saudi Arabian GP.

Estrella Galicia has been a sponsor for Carlos Sainz in Formula 1 for many years now. It is a brand of beer that is manufactured by ‘Hijos de Rivera’, a Spanish brewery located in Galicia.

The Madrid born driver always races with their logo on his helmet and his halo device. We saw him use it when he raced for Renault, McLaren and in all previous races with Ferrari.

However, it had to be censored during Friday’s practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Endorsing them in any way or form is strictly against the law.

The cameras on his car showed the part of his helmet containing the logo blacked out.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had his personal sponsor ‘Estrella Galicia’s’ logo blacked out because of Saudi Arabia’s anti-alcoholic beverages law. #Jeddah #SaudiArabainGP pic.twitter.com/VKbJITj4YB

— sominslc (@sominslc1) December 3, 2021

Also read: Valtteri Bottas vows to keep it clean against Max Verstappen in final two races

Ferrari will be hoping to confirm their P3 spot this weekend

After a troubled 2020 season, the atmosphere in the Ferrari garage has taken an uplift in 2021. They had a slow start to the season, spending the majority of the first half behind rivals McLaren in the standings.

However, the Maranello based team has picked up massively in the latter half.

They are now 39.5 points ahead of McLaren. With another strong result in Jeddah on Sunday, they can confirm their spot at 3rd and enjoy a comfortable end to the season next week in Abu Dhabi.

Also read: Sebastian Vettel organises women’s only karting event in Saudi Arabia to promote equality

However, they may be a silver lining for the McLaren team ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

On Friday, Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc suffered a major crash during FP2. The 24 year old walked away unhurt, but his car looked to be in awful shape.

Charles Leclerc went off into the barriers at Turn 22, causing an early end to FP2

Thankfully he was able to get out of the car himself and confirm he was ok#SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦 #F1 pic.twitter.com/wif6Pau2N4

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 3, 2021

The Ferrari mechanics have a long night of work ahead of them. If they don’t manage to get the car repaired on time, the pressure is on Carlos Sainz’s shoulders to secure a good grid spot for Sunday’s race.