Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro (born September 1, 1994, Madrid): A Spanish racing driver competing for Williams in Formula One, carrying the weight and pride of being the son of two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz while establishing his own impressive legacy in Grand Prix racing. Born in Madrid, Sainz grew up surrounded by motorsport royalty but worked diligently to prove his talent was his own. He won his first championship in the Formula Renault NEC in 2011 with Koiranen and captured the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship in 2014 with DAMS, marking him as a driver ready for Formula One.

A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2010, Sainz made his Formula One debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso alongside Max Verstappen, beginning a career that would see him race for an unprecedented variety of top teams. He moved to Renault for 2017-2018, then joined McLaren for 2019-2020, where he achieved his first F1 podium with third at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, followed by second at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. He finished sixth in the drivers' championship in both 2019 and 2020. Sainz's career reached new heights when he joined Ferrari for 2021-2024, partnering Charles Leclerc.

In 2022, he secured his maiden victory at the British Grand Prix alongside eight other podiums. In 2023, he won the Singapore Grand Prix with two additional podiums. His 2024 season proved highly successful with victories in Australia and Mexico City, though he finished fifth in the championship. Replaced by Lewis Hamilton for 2025, Sainz joined Williams to partner Alexander Albon, immediately making an impact by claiming a podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he qualified second and finished third.

This achievement made him only the second driver ever, alongside Alain Prost, to win podiums for all three legendary teams: Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams. As of the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Sainz has accumulated four race wins, six pole positions, four fastest laps, and 28 podiums across 229 starts. In February 2025, he was appointed as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the Formula One drivers' trade union, reflecting his maturity, experience, and standing within the sport as one of the grid's most respected and accomplished competitors.