Carlos Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021, teaming up with Charles Leclerc. However, when talking about his best friends in the paddock, the Spaniard still gets on well with his former teammates at McLaren.
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The fact that Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris get on well was well-known during their time together at McLaren, however, according to Sainz, he is still his best friend on the current grid. “Apart from my team, so obviously friends inside the team… Friend is a strong word that I don’t like using for anything or anyone. My best relationship in the paddock of all the drivers and engineers I would say still Lando [Norris] and some of my engineers that I’ve had – Tom Stallard, Ricky [Riccardo Adami], I have really good relationships with,” he told F1.com.
Sainz shares his F1 idols
Entering his final Grands Prix weekends driving for Ferrari, Sainz also talked about how he fell in love with the sport. The Spaniard’s father is a two-time WRC champion, however, Sainz Jr had his eyes set on F1. The drivers he adored as a kid also all competed for Ferrari during their careers. “Watching Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen battle back in the 2000s. That golden era, I think, was incredible for F1. Just seeing them, they were my idols when I was 10 years old, when they were fighting for championships.”
Ahead of making a switch for Williams next season, Sainz will have two tripleheaders to complete with Ferrari. The Spaniard has a single victory in 2024 which he achieved in Melbourne, and he is currently fifth in the standings, 47 points behind the driver who is now supported by his race engineer friend Stallard, Oscar Piastri.
