Having cemented his status as a rallying legend over the past four decades, Carlos Sainz Sr. is still going strong. Now 62, his motivation remains unaffected, just like his physicality, evidenced by his Dakar Rally victory last year. Yet, despite his continued pursuit of success, he admitted that he would have to hang up his helmet sooner rather than later.
Sainz Sr. even admitted that racing felt different after his daughter Blanca gave birth to her son Guillermo a few months ago.
“It’s a bit strange to race as a grandfather…” he said. Now, he is set to welcome his second grandchild, this time from his other daughter, Ana.
When these comments were brought up in a recent interview with the Spanish magazine Hola, Sainz Sr. revealed his plans for the twilight of his motorsport career — beyond spending time with his beloved family.
“I’m thinking about the next challenge, which is next year’s Dakar, but when I retired from the World Rally Championship, I decided it from one day to the next,” he said. The 62-year-old candidly added, “It’s clear that my retirement from professional motorsport is very close, because you’re not eternal.”
Carlos Sainz Sr. has won the Dakar Rally!
At 61 years of age, El Matador is the oldest winner of the grueling race.
This is his 4th Dakar pic.twitter.com/Gz4o1t6ajp
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) January 19, 2024
Due to significant crash damage to his car, Sainz Sr. was forced to retire from Stage 2 of the 2025 Dakar Rally, failing to emulate his victory from last year, which was a shame. He would have loved to help his new team, Ford, win Dakar on their first attempt.
“I’m working on a new project, which is to try to help Ford win the Dakar with a new car. I’m stubborn and I’d like to try to win it, and if I don’t win it, then one of my teammates will,” the Spaniard added, hinting that he won’t retire until Ford wins.
With the kind of success he has achieved in his illustrious rallying career, Sainz Sr. surely has the ingredients to pull off one more Dakar Rally triumph before he walks away from motorsport altogether.
Sainz Sr. is keen to pass on his racing legacy
The two-time rallying world champion must be a proud father, witnessing his son’s achievements in Formula 1 — four Grand Prix wins and multiple podiums, all with a team like Ferrari. Now, however, curiosity is growing about whether the next generation of the Sainz family will also venture into motorsport.
Although his grandson Guillermo is only nine months old, the interviewer asked Sainz Sr. whether he would encourage him to take up racing when he grows up. To this, the 62-year-old responded, “If I see that he likes it, that he has qualities, that he wants to be a pilot, of course, I will support him, just as he supported my son or my daughters in other things. But it will be his decision.”
Usually, world champion drivers are not keen on sending their kids down the same career path they explored. Max Verstappen made comments along the same lines, revealing that he won’t push his children to pick motorsport as their career.
“I’d advise him not to. No, if he or she wants to race and I see the potential, I would go for it. I would never actively push. You shouldn’t push your kids into something you like,” he said.
Sainz Sr. would certainly second the Dutchman’s thoughts. And just like the Spanish rallying veteran, Verstappen also has a lot of time before his yet-to-be-born child grows up to make a vital career decision like this.
