Biography of Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz

Son of a double World Rally Champion, Sainz was destined for a career in motorsport and, after impressing Helmut Marko with his performances in Formula BMW, he was signed to the Red Bull Junior Team in 2010.

Wins in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and Formula Renault 3.5 followed before he was called up to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso for the 2015 season after Daniil Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull. Debuting alongside Max Verstappen, Sainz gave a good account of himself despite suffering poor reliability.

His debut campaign saw him lose control of his number 55 car in the free practice session for the Russian Grand Prix and crash into the Tecpro barriers of turn 13. Sainz spent the night in hospital and failed to finish the race the next day, though he ended the season with seven finishes in the top 10.

While 2016 saw Verstappen leave Toro Rosso to replace Kvyat at Red Bull, Sainz continued his ascent up the grid by registering three sixth-place finishes. He topped that with a fourth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2017.

After almost three years with Toro Rosso, the Spaniard was part of an unusual midseason swap deal and replaced Jolyon Palmer at Renault . In his first race at the United States Grand Prix, Sainz finished seventh and out-qualified teammate Nico Hulkenburg - something Palmer had failed to do all season.

Climbing the ranks with McLaren

His time with Renault would last just one full season, as after finishing 16 points behind Hulkenburg in the standings, Sainz left for McLaren to replace the retiring Fernando Alonso. It is here where Sainz really thrived. Partnering Lando Norris, the two formed a great relationship which spurred the team on, often finishing as the best of the rest behind the top-three teams.

The highlight of the year came in the penultimate race of the season when Sainz brought his McLaren home in fourth spot after starting 20th due to an engine problem in qualifying. However, after Lewis Hamilton was handed a penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon, the Spaniard was promoted to third, his first podium in Formula 1.

That result was bettered in 2020 when Sainz finished second, 0.4 seconds behind Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix, allowing him to finally experience the podium celebrations he missed out on the year prior. He ended the season sixth in the drivers’ championship for the second consecutive year with a career-best 105 points.

Ferrari will be hoping they can recreate a similar dynamic between Sainz and his new teammate Charles Leclerc, as the Spaniard steps in for Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 campaign.

Carlos Sainz in Formula 1

The Spaniard joined Ferrari despite admitting he never met Scuderia officials in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His two-year contract with the Italian team means that Ferrari will have their youngest driver pairing in 50 years, with Leclerc only 23 and Sainz having turned 26 in September.