F1 is back in action at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend for the Belgian GP. However, veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman is hung on something he witnessed last week in Hungary. Present to capture all the important moments from the track and outside of it, he spotted Carlos Sainz arriving for the media day in a non-Ferrari car.
That came as a shock to the Aussie photojournalist as Ferrari drivers arriving in another automaker’s car is a rare occurrence. What further surprised Illman was that the car Sainz drove on that day was from a non-F1 constructors’ brand.
Illman revealed it to be a BMW X6 ‘M’. In a strange coincidence, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri arrived in the same model, a car that has a starting price of $110,000.
In his YouTube video, Illman revealed, “On Thursday, I was absolutely gobsmacked when he [Sainz] arrived driving a BMW. Yes, a car that is not even represented in Formula 1, driven by a Ferrari driver.”
“It was a BMW X6 ‘M’ version. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice car and I think BMW will be very happy that a Ferrari F1 driver was in one of their cars,” Illman added.
Ferrari tayfası padoğa geldi ama … Charles Leclerc her zaman olduğu gibi Ferrari’si ile Carlos Sainz ise bu sefer BMW ile … Sainz’ın oyuncaklarını elinden alıyorlar mı yavaş yavaş Şaka şaka Carlos’un kırmızı Ferrari’si önceden piste geldi pic.twitter.com/zZO0LECs08
— Cihangir Perperik (@cihangirp) July 18, 2024
However, that was not the only reason why Sainz became a talking point among the bench of photographers. The photographers also believe that the Spaniard’s choice of clothes was very interesting.
Sainz arrived in a plain white T-shirt and the rest of his ensemble did not have any brand logos either. That led to the photojournalists wondering if he was trying to deliver a message. Some wondered if Sainz is considering switching to WEC and driving for the BMW team.
Those speculations came to an end the next day when Ferrari gave him a Roma Spyder. Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc arrived in the same Ferrari model for all three days. The #55 driver’s car, however, wasn’t ready to take out on Thursday, which explains why he drove the BMW. Anyhow, the German automaker got some free publicity.
Sainz does not mind losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari announced a multi-year contract extension for Leclerc before the start of the season. While Sainz was still negotiating with the team over some crucial aspects of his own extension, the team announced the signing of Hamilton.
That caught the Spaniard by surprise but he recently admitted he wasn’t salty about it. Speaking with Spanish GQ recently, he said,
“I obviously understand Ferrari’s decision, the opportunity to sign a seven-time world champion, and what it can entail and attract to a team. That’s why, when I reflected on it, it didn’t hurt me that much. Because in the end, it’s not any other driver replacing you, but the best driver in history. And in the end, if one has to replace me, let it be [Lewis].”
Sainz is currently in talks with multiple teams, including Mercedes. However, he is wary of making a hasty decision and wants to weigh his options and take as much time as he wants. Even Mattia Binotto’s addition to Audi hasn’t swayed his decision to sign with the German team yet.
