Formula 1 drivers earn nicknames from fans out of affection, often becoming their trademarks. For instance, Daniel Ricciardo is known as ‘Honey Badger’, Sergio Perez as ‘Checo’, and Charles Leclerc as ‘il Predestinato’. Most notably, Carlos Sainz earned the nickname ‘Smooth Operator’; and the story behind this is quite amusing. In 2019, after securing P5 for McLaren in Hungary, he spontaneously sang Sade’s 1984 hit “Smooth Operator” on the team radio, cementing its association with him. Singing the song after a successful performance on track later became a ritual for him, marking his ‘smooth operations’.

In 2021, after a successful race, Carlos Sainz sang ‘Smooth Operator’ again. But the Ferrari race engineer interrupted, informing him that the FIA was banning him from singing the song due to copyright issues. Sainz felt devastated, claiming, “This is unacceptable.” And for a long time, fans wondered why Sainz continued to sing the song after FIA allegedly banned him.

But recently, Carlos Sainz debunked this myth. The NUDE PROJECT asked him if he could sing the song, to which he clarified: “I can sing Smooth Operator whenever I want on the radio,” putting an end to one of the biggest ‘Smooth Operator’ misconceptions. Additionally, the clip of Sainz receiving a 5-second grid penalty for singing the song on the radio confused the audience.

“Is it true that they don’t let you sing the song on the radio?” the interviewer asked in that regard, with Carlos explaining, “That’s not true, that’s clickbait that you believed, right?” Moreover, Sainz admitted that he reserves singing the song for himself and only uses it when he’s made a smooth operation.

Carlos Sainz prefers not to overuse ‘Smooth Operator’

The interviewer dubbed Carlos Sainz as a Smooth Operator, while Sainz replied with a gleam on his face, “Correct.” Carlos Sainz further opened up about how he prefers not to overuse the song or the title, affirming, “I don’t like to overuse it, you know. It’s something you have to use when it deserves it when you do something special.” He also mentioned forgetting to sing the song after his win at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year, adding, “My engineer reminded me, and that was a Smooth Operation.” 

Evidently, the 1984 hit “Smooth Operator” is not a common song, only heard in the background of restaurants. Sainz had once said that he heard the song a couple of times in Britain in 2019. And quite unconsciously, he sang it on the team radio after securing P5 in Hungary the same year, leading to this tradition. So, if the 5-second penalty prank were true, then fans would have missed Carlos Sainz singing ‘Smooth Operator’ on the radio.

The song has almost become a signature of the driver, and it is too hard to separate one from the other. Now, enthusiasts are expecting more such smooth operation from Carlos, just to hear him blare “Smooth Operator” on the radio. Are you eager to witness it in his upcoming escapades? Share your thoughts below.