F1 star Carlos Sainz melts hearts as he finally meets his superfan

Carlos Sainz, Williams, COTA, USGP, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off The Track

Carlos Sainz melts hearts as he finally meets his F1 superfan

Sainz finally met a superfan

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 25 February 2026 22:55

Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz has melted hearts after making a young superfan's dream come true ahead of the 2026 season.

Sainz scored two podiums during his inaugural season with Williams last year, finishing third in Qatar and once again on the podium in Azerbaijan.

His podium in Baku with Williams marked their first since the 2017 race in the same city, and the Spaniard was assisted to the win with the help of a unicorn.

Article continues under video

As part of Williams' call Carbono series, where fans called in drivers Sainz and Alex Albon, Thea, a young fan from the UK, had one very serious question for Sainz: Should her toy unicorn be called Sparkles or Sprinkles?

She also asked if they would wear the unicorn on their helmet, to which Sainz replied: “If you send it in, I promise I will wear a unicorn sticker.”

The very next race, Sainz wore the blue and pink unicorn sticker on his helmet, illustrated holding a record that read 'Spicy, Smooth' and was completed with his driver number 55 in the centre.

Sainz went on to qualify on the front row in Baku, then bringing his Williams home in P3 and thus cementing Sparkles' legacy as the team's mascot.

Sainz finally meets Sparkles the Unicorn

Ahead of the 2026 season, Thea finally got to meet her racing hero when the seven-year-old was invited for an exclusive tour of the Williams factory in Grove.

The team shared a video on their website, where Thea visited the various departments at Grove and even go to hold Sainz's Baku trophy, which also received the addition of the Sparkles sticker.

Thea sat down with James Vowles who thanked her for helping with the podium for the team, but arguably the most special moment of the day for the youngster was when she met and spoke to her hero.

When Sainz arrived at the Grove factory, Thea rushed into his arms for a hug and introduced the original Sparkles stuffed toy. Sainz then delivered advice for her first airplane flight and presented her with a birthday cake which they then shared, in what was a special day to remember for the superfan.

F1 Carlos Sainz Williams