Development to Formula 1

In 2010, Carlos Sainz's career is slowly taking shape. He will start this year with Formula BMW. In this year he finished fourth, behind compatriot Robin Frijns, among others. His talent has been discovered and the different classes follow in rapid succession. Formula Renault was the next step in 2011, followed by Formula 3 in 2012. GP3 is the year in 2013 where it really impressed the various Formula 1 teams. The first signs of Formula 1 are therefore not long in coming. The following year, the Spaniard gets the chance to show himself in Formula 1. At the Young Driver Test at Silverstone, Sainz immediately makes an impression. So impressed that he will be allowed to test for a day for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi at the end of this year.

Sainz as a rookie

In 2015 the time has finally come. Carlos Sainz makes his debut in Formula 1 alongside Max Verstappen. Both rookies stand out in a positive sense at the former Torro Rosso. If the material doesn't let the two down, they can often compete for the points. Max then leaves Torro Rosso after a year and a half to move to the big brother Red Bull Racing. The fact that the Spaniard was not given this chance continues to visibly gnaw at him. About a year later, Sainz makes a striking transfer to Renault. Both the Red Bull Racing and Torro Rosso teams run with Renault engines and the relationship with the supplier of these engines is heated, to say the least.

Renault and McLaren

However, the spicy switch from Torro Rosso to Renault does him no harm. Where the Spaniard still finishes outside the top ten in the final standings at Torro Rosso, he will be ninth and tenth respectively in the following years. Although he often comes close to the podium during this period, he just doesn't succeed every time. Due to the lack of progress at Renault, Sainz makes the switch to McLaren. Again this turns out to be a good choice. In both years with this British team, he manages to finish sixth. With a podium finish as the highlight every year. In Brazil 2019 he manages to finish third after a time penalty from Hamilton. After a crazy race in 2020, he can take another step higher and finish second.

Time for a new chapter

In the 2020 season, Ferrari is having a very hard time in Formula 1. The car is not fast enough and lacks a lot of downforce. A remarkable transfer is therefore announced. It is becoming clear this year that Sebastian Vettel is having a very difficult time alongside the recently promoted Charles LeClerc. Reason enough for Ferrari to show the German the door. With Carlos Sainz as his replacement, Ferrari immediately has a worthy driver ready. Given the current status of his current team McLaren, it is questionable whether the Spaniard can achieve a higher ranking in the coming years.