Carlos Sainz is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Williams. He made his debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso.
| Nationality | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Born | Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro 1 September 1994 Madrid, Spain |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in / 1.78m |
| Weight | 66kg |
Carlos Sainz Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2015–2026 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams |
| Driver Number | 55 |
| Entries | 253 (249 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 29 |
| Career points | 1343.5 |
| Pole positions | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| First entry | 2015 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2022 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix |
Born in Madrid, Sainz is the son of rally driver Carlos Sainz Sr., a two-time World Rally Champion. Sainz began in karting and progressed to junior formulae in 2010. He secured his first championship in the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. In 2012 Sainz raced in British Formula 3, the Formula 3 Euro Series, and FIA European Formula 3, all with Carlin Motorsport. He then competed in the GP3 Series with Arden International in 2013 before clinching the 2014 championship in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with DAMS.
Formula One
Sainz eventually made his F1 debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015, partnering alongside Max Verstappen. Ninth place at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix earned two points, putting Sainz among the drivers who scored on their Grand Prix debut. As part of Red Bull’s junior program, Sainz remained with the team until just before the 2017 US Grand Prix, when he moved to Renault as a mid-season replacement.
Renault
After replacing Jolyon Palmer at Renault during the latter part of the 2017 season, Sainz signed a full-time contract to race for the team in 2018. His switch to Renault was his first major move away from the Red Bull umbrella, driven by his need to establish himself as a number one driver in a team. Sainz’s performances at Renault were solid, contributing to the team’s upward trajectory in the Constructors’ Championship. However, with Red Bull prioritising younger talent, Sainz parted ways with the team at the end of 2018.
McLaren
Sainz moved to McLaren in 2019, a turning point in his career as he stepped out of Red Bull’s shadow. His time at McLaren saw Sainz secure his first Formula One podium at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. He followed up with another podium at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, highlighting his growing talent, which had caught the eye of the Ferrari team.
Ferrari
In 2021, Sainz made his highly anticipated move to Ferrari, replacing Sebastian Vettel and partnering with Charles Leclerc. Despite Ferrari‘s struggles that year, Sainz impressed in 2022, securing his first-ever pole position and race victory at the 2022 British Grand Prix. His success continued in 2023 with a victory in Singapore and a strong showing in the 2024 season, including a win in Australia. However, at the end of the 2024 season, Sainz left Ferrari for a new challenge with Williams.
Williams: 2025
After being replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, Sainz joined Williams for the 2025 season on a two-year contract, partnering Alexander Albon. His campaign began in difficult circumstances when he crashed on the opening lap of the rain-affected 2025 Australian Grand Prix under safety car conditions.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, Sainz finished seventeenth in the sprint race and tenth in the main event, benefiting from post-race disqualifications for Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly. He failed to score points at the Japanese Grand Prix after receiving a grid penalty for impeding Hamilton during qualifying, along with a €20,000 fine for missing the national anthem due to illness.
Sainz started eighth in Bahrain, where he was involved in close battles with Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Antonelli. Contact with Tsunoda caused race-ending sidepod damage, while he was later penalised for forcing Antonelli off track. At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sainz qualified sixth and finished eighth.
His standout performance of the season came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he qualified second and secured his first podium for Williams with a third-place finish. This result made him only the second driver, after Alain Prost, to score podiums with Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams. Sainz later added a second podium for the team at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix.
Williams: 2026
Ahead of the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, it was announced that Sainz would be staying with Williams after agreeing to a new multi-year contract, completing the team’s 2027 driver line-up alongside Albon, who extended his deal a day earlier. The Spaniard, committing to James Vowles’ long-term rebuilding project despite a difficult 2026 season in which he had scored six points so far, having previously claimed two podiums during an impressive first campaign with Williams in 2025. Sainz said he believes the team had what it takes to turn its fortunes around, while Williams were preparing an upgrade package for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix later that year, as they targeted more consistent top-10 finishes and progress heading into 2027.
Carlos Sainz Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2022 British Grand Prix |
| 2 | 2023 Singapore Grand Prix |
| 3 | 2024 Australian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix |
Carlos Sainz Teammates
| 14 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | 23 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 31 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Sean Gelael | 2 | 2017 | |
| Pierre Gasly | 2 | 2017 | |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 25 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Artem Markelov | 1 | 2018 | |
| Lando Norris | 38 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Charles Leclerc | 90 | 2021 | 2024 |
| Robert Shwartzman | 4 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Oliver Bearman | 2 | 2024 | |
| Arthur Leclerc | 1 | 2024 | |
| Alexander Albon | 24 | 2025 | |
| Luke Browing | 2 | 2025 | |
| Victor Martins | 1 | 2025 |
Carlos Sainz Complete Formula One Results
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
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