F1 2026

Carlos Sainz scolds F1 fans who are ‘just for the Gram, they don’t even know who you are’

Graham Shaw Thursday 5 March 2026 00:15 Updated: 00:59

F1 has gone stratospheric in recent years with its superstar drivers becoming ever more famous. But according to Carlos Sainz, that is not all for the better.

The hit Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’ has introduced a new generation of fans into the sport, one attracted not just to the action on track, but also to the glamour which surrounds it.

This means the pressure cooker drivers live in has never been more intense, and the intrusion on privacy is ever greater.

Already this week we have seen Ferrari superstar Charles Leclerc being mobbed and chased by fans in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Pictures that made many observers genuinely uncomfortable.

Sainz spoke in depth about the fame that comes with F1 in 2026 on the Beyond The Grid podcast, and what he had to say was both concerning and sad.

Sainz struggles with the fame more every year

The 31-year-old Williams star says he struggles more every year with not only the amount of requests he is faced with when in the public eye. But also the lack of courtesy which accompanies those requests.

“I think that fame is something that consumes you a little bit,” he said.

“It’s something that at the beginning, it’s great and once you become famous and an F1 driver, it’s cool to be famous at the beginning.”

“The more exposed you are and the more time you spend exposed, the less you like it. It’s something that I’m dealing with, let’s say, every year a bit worse. And this is me being very open with you, like every time an extra picture or an extra moment of privacy that is interrupted, let’s say, is a bit more painful.

“I don’t know if it’s because the amount of times this happens to you, or that it’s also that we are becoming more famous as my career has continued. Because F1 has [grown] exponentially, you’re getting more and more famous.:

“So without never crossing the boundaries of obviously being well-mannered, educated to anyone who comes to me, it is true that more and more often it is something that I suffer a bit more from. Struggle, let’s say, is the right word.”

The intrusion makes Sainz more insular

When asked by host Tom Clarkson if he is faced with intrusion every day, Sainz was frank in his response.

“Every single day. If I leave home, pretty much every single day.”

Asked by Clarkson whether this intrusion makes him more insular and likely to avoid going out, Sainz gave a response which should make every fan stop and think.

“Yeah, I think I do. Or I avoid busy places. Maybe I’m an introvert and maybe there’s other people that love it. And the more famous they become, the more they’re out there. But I’m not like that.”

Sainz admits that the way some fans approach him in 2026 have changed the way he responds to them.

'More demanding with the fan'

“The only thing I’ve become is a bit more demanding with the fan. In a way where I like hearing at least a ‘please’ or ‘do you mind’. There’s a lot of young generation nowadays that they don’t even ask. They’re with the phone like this - ‘Carlos!’. It’s like come on, where’s the bit of manners or ‘do you mind’ or ‘can you please’

“The guy that goes and shakes your hand, says ‘Carlos I’m a huge fan of you, I just want to shake your hand’ - I love that guy, I offer him a picture. Because you are actually a genuine fan. I like you, I love you and shake my hand, you know.”

In years gone by, an autograph was the holy grail for an F1 superfan, but now of course the selfie is the biggest prize of all. It’s a transition which Sainz clearly does not enjoy.

Social media has changed so much

“The social media generation has changed everything so much. Before It used to be an autograph in the time of my Dad, he would carry a pen and sign.

“Now you can tell there’s people out there, they just do it for the [Insta]Gram. They don’t even know who you are. It’s like ‘are you Carlos? Can I take a picture’ - to show to whoever.”

'Be nice, be polite'

“What I’m talking about is, I don’t know how many people see this, is just be aware - you are interrupting someone’s privacy. So at least, especially the younger generation that I think are the ones that take it for granted that a picture is for free and a selfie is a must.

“At least a message I think more to the younger generation of it’s not normal to go and ask, is be nice, be polite and I guess that’s the only message I use this moment for.”

Sainz will begin his 2026 season in that Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, as Williams start their new campaign at Albert Park (3pm local time, 4am UK).

F1 Carlos Sainz Williams