Carlos Sainz
Español · 2015–presente
Carlos Sainz is one of the most complete and competitive drivers on the modern grid. Son of the double rally world champion of the same name, the Madrileño reached F1 in 2015 and built his reputation at midfield teams (Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren) always squeezing the car and going toe to toe with high-profile team-mates.
In 2021 he made the leap to Ferrari, any driver's dream, and quickly delivered: a win at Silverstone 2022, the emotional Singapore 2023 victory that ended Red Bull's winning streak, and Australia 2024, the latter just two weeks after appendix surgery, one of the most admired physical comebacks in the sport.
Edged out of Ferrari by Hamilton's arrival, in 2025 he took on the challenge of rebuilding Williams. His reliability, his wet-weather speed and his ability to adapt to very different cars make him a safe bet on the grid.
What if Sainz had another car?
We took his real attributes and put him in the best car of each era: in a real driver's seat, against the team-mate that car actually had. 20 full seasons in each.
| Car | Team-mate | Finish | Wins | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren1988 | Alain Prost-94 pts | P2 | 1.9 | 0% |
| Williams1992 | Riccardo Patrese-28 pts | P2.6 | 3.3 | 10% |
| Ferrari2002 | Rubens Barrichello-1 pts | P1.5 | 6.8 | 55% |
| Red Bull2013 | Mark Webber+11 pts | P1.4 | 8.7 | 65% |
| Mercedes2016 | Lewis Hamilton-122 pts | P2 | 3 | 5% |
| Red Bull2023 | Sergio Perez-21 pts | P1.7 | 9.8 | 30% |
| Cadillac2026 · 11th on the grid | Valtteri Bottas+12 pts | P10.7 | 0 | 0% |
The only one who beats him is Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 Mercedes: 122 points clear over a full season.
Rating by season
- First season
- 76 2015
- Peak
- 81 2024
- 2026
- 79 Williams
12 seasons in the database, from 2015 to 2026. Our own rating, from 50 to 99.
Teams
Tags
Wins
4
Poles
6
Titles
0
Best year
2022
What would Carlos Sainz have achieved with a different car or in a different era?
Hypotheses featuring Carlos Sainz
Related drivers
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