Carlos Sainz became the 112th winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, thus culminating one of the great moments of his sports career, the greatest until then. After months seriously opting for it, the victory in the British GP allows him to continue with an upward trajectory that, with ups and downs, aims very high.
These are some of the milestones that have marked his sports career so far:
The visit to the 2005 Spanish GP
Carlos Sainz was just 7 years old when his father, the legendary two-time world rally champion, took him to Montmeló to see the Spanish GP live. There he met Fernando Alonso, his idol, and told his father that he wanted to emulate him.
His first test with a Formula 1: Silverstone 2013
It had to be precisely at Silverstone where he got into a Formula 1 single-seater for the first time. He did it in a Toro Rosso and a Red Bull that Sebastian Vettel was driving at the time, in the young driver tests, and raised many eyebrows at the achieve times very close to those of the then three-time world champion. Vettel himself asked about the telemetry he was carrying.
His first championship: Formula Renault 3.5
After a fairly discreet career in single-seaters, which began in 2008 as in almost all cases in karting, it was not until 2014 that he conquered Formula Renault 3.5, the old World Series. Four years earlier he had entered the Red Bull structure, which had already given him the opportunity to debut in F1, but it was not until he won the championship (over another Red Bull youth squad, Pierre Gasly) that they gave him the opportunity to give the jump.
Jump to Formula 1 with Max Verstappen
Although he had been asking for a step for a couple of years, it was not until 2015 when Carlos Sainz was confirmed as a Formula 1 driver with the Toro Rosso team. Next to him, ‘a certain’ Max Verstappen. In his first race at the Grand Circus, the Russian GP, he achieved a great 9th position, his first points.
Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen walk through the ‘paddock’ at the Sepang circuit in 2015. /
His accident in Russia 2015: the first big scare
All drivers know what it is to have big accidents, and the first serious one that Sainz had was in the third free practice of the Russian GP in his debut year. The man from Madrid lost control of his car and ended up literally embedded in the barriers at the end of the straight. Nothing was heard of him for a few moments, until they pulled him out and he gave a thumbs up.
The presence of Max Verstappen at his side weighed him down a lot during his time at Toro Rosso, especially when he saw that the Dutchman was immediately promoted to Red Bull. Given that in the youth team he could not give much more of himself, he was loaned to Renault for a season in which he shared a team with Daniel Ricciardo, another ‘victim’ of Verstappen’s rise.
His confirmation at McLaren
His reliable year at Renault confirmed Sainz as a perfect replacement for Fernando Alonso, who also recommended him, at McLaren. In the Woking team he was slow to take off (it was not until the third race when he scored for the first time) but little by little he established himself as the leader of a team that wanted to resurface. With Lando Norris he forged not only a great sports couple but also a great friendship that still lasts today.
Fernando Alonso with Carlos Sainz, in Montmeló. /
His first podiums… with suspense
Carlos Sainz could not celebrate his first podium in Formula 1 with the rest of the drivers because it was confirmed hours after the end of the race. The man from Madrid was boosted to third position in the 2019 Brazilian GP after Lewis Hamilton was penalized for throwing Alex Albon off the track.
Carlos Sainz celebrates, off the podium, his first third place. /
The following year, at the Italian GP, he fought to the last meters with Pierre Gasly for victory, but settled for 2nd place. They were his two best results at McLaren.
His brilliant first year at Ferrari
While the world was paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Carlos Sainz was confirmed as a Ferrari driver from the following campaign. He arrived to replace Sebastian Vettel himself. For the man from Madrid it was quite a challenge, but he met expectations: four podiums, including a 2nd in Monaco which was the first drawer with the Scuderia, all the races completed and ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc (by very little) in World Cup points table.
The first pole and the first victory in Formula 1
The milestone, for the moment, in Carlos Sainz’s career came at the 2022 British GP. After a more than reasonable start in which he chained two podiums in a row, he abandoned two other times and doubts began to arise. With a Leclerc as a candidate for the title, the jump ahead of Verstappen (and, to a lesser extent, Pérez) as Ferrari’s great rival left Sainz in a very complex and highly criticized position. The pole position, achieved in the rain, and above all the victory at Silverstone served to confirm him as one of the firm candidates to fight.
Carlos Sainz celebrates his first place in Formula 1. /
After taking off the pressure of achieving his first famous success in the elite, the Spanish pilot must gain self-esteem and go further. To begin with, this weekend he faces the challenge of proving at the Austrian Grand Prix that his victory at Silverstone is not a flash in the pan. Surely he has already convinced himself that he can compete head-to-head against the best, as long as he has a good car and, therefore, even challenge Leclerc from Monegasque for the lead at Ferrari. The next and immediate chapter, he will star in the Red Bull Ring circuit.
