Who is Carlos Sainz Sr, Father of McLaren F1 Driver Carlos Sainz Jr

McLaren driver Carlos Sainz Jr has been enjoying a great season, including a podium in Brazil. The Spaniard comes from a rich racing pedigree, especially from his father, Carlos Sainz Sr. Sainz Sr is still racing to this day and is a highly successful rally driver.

Carlos Sainz Sr won the World Rally Championship twice, in 1990 and 1992 and was the Spanish Rally Champion. However, one of the most impressive feats was winning the gruelling Dakar Rally twice, in 2010 and 2018.

Sainz Sr clinched both his titles with Toyota in 1990 and 1992. In addition to that, he has also driven for Ford, Lancia, Subaru and Citroen. His final season in the World Rally Championship was in 2005, the year in which Rally legend, Sebastien Loeb won his 2nd title.

However, the elder Sainz did not hang up his boots, and instead continued to race. Adding to his repertoire was his participation in the Dakar Rally. Outside racing, Carlos Sainz Sr was also a talented football and squash player.

Interestingly, he had a trial at the Real Madrid Football Club as a teenager and became the Spanish squash champion at the age of 16. He also studied law before taking up motorsport full-time.

So, Carlos Sainz Jr knows the pressure of being in the shadow if a family member. In fact, Sainz Sr has amassed 26 wins in the World Rally Championship. In addition to that, the 57-year old Spaniard finished in the top 3 in the WRC at least 11 times in his career until he stepped away in 2005.

In terms of his Dakar Rally accolades, both of his wins came from different manufacturers. Firstly, in 2010, he drove for Volkswagen, and in 2018 he manned the wheel of a Peugeot. Now, it seems that Sainz Jr is steadily making a name for himself in Formula One and his podium in Interlagos is just the start.