Carlos Sainz Jr. He has a passion for motorsport in his blood. It is not surprising, since his father is the legendary rally driver Carlos Sainz, who has transmitted this love for driving cars to him since he was little. However, the man from Madrid has chosen a very different path from his father in this world: that of drive a Formula 1.
Nothing has gone badly for him, because in just a few years he has become one of the most highly rated in this sport: to his credit, three victories and 22 podiums which credit him as one of the best drivers in this discipline. The driver will leave Ferrari this year after three seasons with the team and there is still a lot of uncertainty around the team where he will compete next season.
Sainz returns this Monday, April 17 to ‘El Hormiguero’, the Pablo Motos program, where he will talk about his career in Formula 1 and where he could leave some clues about what the future holds for him in automobile competition. We tell you everything you need to know about the Ferrari driver and his life outside the circuit.
The curious nickname of Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (Madrid, 1994) has had to grow up in the shadow of his father, the two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz. Sharing a first and last name with the acclaimed pilot has meant that, for years, those close to him have used nicknames to call him affectionately.
One of the most curious is that of «Chili», which is what the athlete’s friends have called him for years. «My friends gave me this name. It was one night we were out there and they were a little drunk. They started with Carlos, then Charlie, then Chili…and in the end I stayed with Chili,” revealed the Ferrari driver.
Rebecca Donaldson, Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend
Just a year ago, Carlos Sainz put an end to his relationship with the journalist Isa Hernáez after six years together. A breakup that came between rumors of possible infidelityas confirmed by sports journalist Matthew J. Thompson: «The numerous rumors of cheating that surround their relationship could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back,” this Formula 1 expert then explained.
A few months later, the son of Carlos Sainz Sr. was seen for the first time with the model Rebecca Donaldson aboard a boat with a group of friends in Sardinia. However, despite the fact that both were seen together in the paddock, it would not be until last January when the couple decided make their love public at the Dakar Rallysupporting the pilot’s father along with the rest of the family.
Carlos Sainz Jr. and Rebecca Donaldson celebrate Sainz Sr.’s victory in the 2024 Dakar Rally
EP
The Scot has been working professionally in the world of modeling for more than a decade. At just 17 years old, the Perthshire influencer won her first beauty pageant and, since then, she has not stopped working in the fashion sector. We have seen her as a contestant in ‘Top Model UK’in addition to having been the protagonist of numerous campaigns in magazines such as Marie Claire or Vogue.
Donaldson has also demonstrated other professional concerns in the business world, creating his own sportswear brand, Muse Activewear.
The model also has experience in love: for almost three months, Donaldson was in a relationship with Scott Disick, who was Kourtney Kardashian’s partner and father of her three children. Furthermore, many rumors linked her to Leonardo Dicaprio at the beginning of last year. Now, with Carlos Sainz she seems to have found her emotional stability: we have seen her accompanying her new boyfriend on circuits around the world.
The money Carlos Sainz earns as a Ferrari driver
At just 29 years old, Carlos Sainz has extensive experience in the world of motorsports. Before making the jump to Formula 1, the young driver also tried his luck in the world of racing. karting and in the extinct Formula Renault 3.5 Seriesalthough his greatest successes have come from the hand of Ferrari, who will leave next season after his team’s agreement with Lewis Hamilton by 2025.
The Spaniard arrived at the Italian team in 2021, after previously passing through McLaren, Renault and Toro Rosso, where he established himself as one of the great drivers of the competition along with his teammate, Charles Leclerc from Monaco. With the red team he has achieved three victories (2022 British GP, 2023 Singapore GP and 2024 Australian GP) over the years and has also been on the podium 22 times.
All these achievements have earned him one of the best contracts in Formula 1. According to the Forbes list, the son of the legendary Carlos Sainz is the seventh highest-paid driver in the competition, with a salary of around about 14 million dollars with bonuses. The Madrid native is behind Max Verstappen (70 million), Lewis Hamilton (55 million), Fernando Alonso (34 million), Sergio Pérez (32 million), Charles Leclerc (19 million) and Lando Norris (15 million).
