Ferrari F1 star Carlos Sainz ADMITS 'pressure' label he fears he may never shake

Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2023, social, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari star ADMITS accusation he fears he may never be free from

The tag is still referenced despite the driver proving his worth over the years

Rhys Thomas

Tuesday 18 June 2024 01:00

One Ferrari driver has admitted he may never be able to get rid off an accusatory label which has stuck to him throughout his motorsport career.

Both Scuderia drivers have made strong starts to the 2024 season, Charles Leclerc winning at home in Monaco weeks after Carlos Sainz triumphed in Australia.

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However, in Canada Ferrari crashed back down to earth with a double Q2 exit followed up by a double DNF on race day.

Now, ahead of his home grand prix in Spain, Carlos Sainz has named an association which he feels may stick with him regardless of where he goes in motorsport.

Ferrari had a disastrous weekend in the wet in Canada

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz celebrate on the Monaco podium

How did Carlos Sainz' father help him get to F1?

Being ousted for the seven-time world champion is nothing to be ashamed of, though the Spaniard's options - or lack of - for next season have compounded a frustrating situation.

He now seems destined for Williams or Sauber - soon to become Audi - after years of racing at the front of the grid.

Sainz will likely still find himself in the privileged position of having a drive at the pinnacle of motorsport, a grid he was able to get to in part due his father, two-time World Rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr.

“To be extremely honest, I think on a practical level ‘being the son of’ is an advantage," explained Sainz Jr. on the Nude Project podcast.

Carlos Sainz won the 2024 Australian Grand Prix

“I have a father who luckily has done well financially, he had money to pay for my karting career, he has contacts to get some sponsorship when you’re young, some help to cover the budget.

"He has the experience to give you all that advice. In practice it’s a great thing," he added. Sainz Sr. is still able to confidently hand out racing advice in his sixties, having become the oldest Dakar Rally winner in 2024, aged 61.

“Now on a theoretical or more personal level, to have it in your head that you’re Carlos Sainz’s [Sr.] son and to have that extra pressure once you’re in the car and it’s you against the world, it’s not so easy," the Ferrari driver contested.

“I’m proud to be ‘son of’, but don’t underestimate the things that come with having that label and that continuous comparison.

“‘That guy is only there because of his surname’ – it’s a phrase I keep hearing even though I’m a Ferrari driver and have been signed by Red Bull."

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A post shared by Carlos Sainz (@carlossainz55)

Sainz Sr. raced with a Red Bull-backed team at the Dakar Rally in 2013 and 2014, though by then his son had already been part of the Red Bull junior programme since 2010.

The 29-year-old signed for Red Bull's 'B-team', Toro Rosso (now Visa Cash App RB), in 2015, before moving on to Renault (now Alpine), McLaren, and Ferrari, where he has taken three race wins.

“It’s a label I may never get rid of, but that phrase motivated me at the time and thanks to them I also won my races in F1 and I wanted to show everyone that I’m not here because I’m ‘the son of.’

“Now I laugh and I don’t care anymore.”

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Carlos Sainz Williams