Carlos Sainz has been named as a new Director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) a few days before the 2025 season begins. He will replace former F1 driver and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who served in this position since the 2010 season.
But with Vettel retiring in 2022, the GPDA needed to find a replacement. After careful deliberation, the rest of the F1 drivers decided to pick Sainz despite him only having half as much experience as the likes of Fernando Alonso, the senior most driver on the current grid.
That said, veteran F1 journalist Ian Parkes believes that Sainz is the perfect man for the job. “I do actually. I think it’s a very good choice,” he said on the RacingNews365 podcast.
Carlos Sainz has been voted in by his fellow Formula 1 drivers as a new Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) director, replacing the now-retired Sebastian Vettel pic.twitter.com/HQSuG4iV6D
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 23, 2025
Parkes explained that throughout his time in the paddock, Sainz has come off as someone who is eloquent and able to express his views very well. Moreover, the Spaniard’s chemistry with George Russell (who is the other Director of the GPDA) is something he predicts will work in the favor of the association.
“He [Sainz] does come across really well, and I do think that alongside George Russell… he will form a good alliance with George in terms of now representing the GPDA,” he added.
In fact, in the given environment, the need for a strong driver’s association led by capable leaders is something that has become the need of the hour.
WRC picks a leaf out of F1’s book after falling victim to the FIA’s swearing ban
At the turn of the calendar year, the FIA introduced new stringent fines and sanctions on drivers’ swearing and criticizing the governing body or its officials. The World Rally Championship driver Adrien Fourmaux was the first victim of this new clampdown and was charged a staggering fine of $10,500.
This fine prompted the World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA) to take a leaf out of the GPDA’s book and criticize the FIA’s move by releasing a joint statement. This came after the GPDA did the same when Max Verstappen was fined for swearing at the Singapore GP last year.
“Severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses have reached an unacceptable level”, read the statement from the WoRDA.
If the FIA continues to punish drivers in this manner, there might be a scenario when all the drivers join forces against them.
