F1 should make the drivers the 'stars of the show', insists Sainz

Carlos Sainz Jr believes that Formula 1 and Liberty Media should do everything in its power to place drivers as the centre of attention, and added that the exposure given by the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' should encourage the powers that be to allow personalities to come to the fore.

Sainz Jr's appearance in the Netflix documentary has led to praise, given his honest and frank opinions in his episode with Fernando Alonso, and the McLaren star reckons that the exposure can only be good for the sport.

He said to Motorsport: "Nowadays drivers, we need to be very careful with what we say on TV. There is so much money, and so many sponsors involved, that you have to be so careful with what you say, what comments you make.

"I guess Netflix was a good way to just show yourself a bit in front of cameras, but out of that environment, and show yourself how you are in reality. If people like it, perfect. If not, tough luck. But that's who I am, you know."

Sainz added that fans who think that a return to a bygone era, where drivers were much more open and aggressive towards their opposition, need to be realistic but that a balance needs to be struck to ensure drivers remain true to their personalities.

He continued: "Many people go back to the 70's and 80's, when drivers would go into a motorhome of another driver and punch him in the face or something like that,.

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"Many people in Formula 1 are nostalgic about that but I don't think it's one thing or another. We need to find the right balance. It's a tough way to find it, but we should care about it."

Finally, he said that he had enjoyed his time on the show, but other drivers perhaps didn't have as positive an experience and this needs to be looked at before the airing of the second season, coming next year.

He concluded: "I heard that many drivers had had a bit of a complaint, that they'd spent a lot of time with Netflix and they haven't had a lot of time. Probably that's something that we need to look into.

"Also, for the drivers, it's a lot of time spent on the cameras without really in our contracts saying much about it. So it's something that maybe we need to make more clear in our contracts."

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