Across the generations: a father-and-son racing duo

Carlos Sainz Sr – or ‘El Matador' as he is fondly known – is the super-quick Spaniard who took the rallying world by storm and has stayed at the top of motor racing for decades. In his powerful but nimble Toyota he won the 1990 and 1992 World Rally Championships (WRC), also finishing second or third in the WRC a tantalising ninetimes. Instead of retiring after his stellar 18-year WRC career, the Madrid-born star, who once had trials as a footballer for Real Madrid, took on a new challenge – the Dakar Rally, perhaps the toughest race of them all, which he won in 2010, 2018 and 2020. Today, at 61, he is still racing in Extreme E.

The passion for racing struck me at a very young age. I must have been 11 years old when I started taking an interest in the successes of the Spanish rally driver, Juan Carlos Oñoro. He was a friend of my older sister, Carmen. He was an official driver for Chrysler España. I began to follow him to the races, along with my sister and sometimes my brother Antonio. We would watch the special stages [timed speed tests on roads closed to the public for the rally] and I remember the unforgettable charm of those night-time stages. This is how I became a part of that environment, and as soon as I got my driver's licence, just a little over 18 years old, I started competing myself. With a Renault5 GR.1, at the Sierra de Madrid rally. Then with a Seat Panda,but once in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth I went on to win theSpanish Rally Championship in 1987 and 1988. In those early stages, Oñoro was a great support to me, teaching me a lot.

My career has been quite long, so it's obvious that I've witnessedsignificant technical and sporting evolution up close. I droveGroup B cars, incredibly fast, with a lot of power and quite dangerous: from the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo to the Ford RS200.Then I drove Group A cars derived from production models; Iparticipated in important technical advancements like active differentials [which control the amount of wheel slip on each corner of the car]. All these technical innovations influenced driving and race strategies. I developed a strong focus on the technical side, but I probably always had a fundamental passion[for racing].

I would say my first victory in the World Rally Championship,at the Acropolis [Rally of Greece] in 1990. My Toyota had Pirelli Tyres without mousse – an anti-puncture device that Michelintyres had. The Greek gravel roads are extremely tough and one needed to be extremely careful on every turn as every rock,every cut could have had a terrible effect. But we won, and it was a great success that paved the way for me to win the drivers title that year. But above all, in Greece, I understood that I could win on any terrain and that became my strength.

It should be said that organising a major rally is more difficult today than in my time. Back then, we covered vast areas; in the morning we started at one place and in the evening we slept far away, often with night stages. Today, there are [many more shorter stages] centred around a central point and stopping before dark. But winning is always tough: maximum respect for the drivers who push hard with these incredibly fast cars today, fighting for success within a margin of a few seconds.

Even in this aspect, everything has changed a lot [during my career]. Nowadays, rally drivers often have access to psycholo-gists; in my time, we did everything on our own – we got tired,perhaps stressed, each of us recovering in our own way. If I have to tell the truth, back then I was often impatient. I wanted the result immediately; otherwise, I would get annoyed. But when I went to bed, I slept well. In this respect, perhaps, we drivers of the late 20th century had an advantage over those who came before us: we were the first to benefit from physical preparation.

Talent and discipline... I'm not sure if the two can be separated.A lot of talent might require less discipline; more concentration and organised work can compensate for not having exceptional talent. I don't know, I couldn't say. I believe that ultimately, the truly challenging aspect is embodying a level of experience that allows you to manage risk in the best possible way. To have a clear understanding of your limits.

The same thing that inspired my entire career: doing things my way. When I entered the world of rallying, they used to say:“He's a Spaniard; he might perform well on Tarmac, but on gravel?” I always rebelled against this notion. Right from the start, I studied, experimented, tried a lot: we could back then,more than today. I wanted to become a winner on any kind of terrain, and the more they said it would be difficult, the more determined I became. In the end, the results came because Idid things my way, and in the end, that's still how I do things today.

Never give up. I lost rallies that were already won and even cham-pionships. But I also won rallies that seemed completely lost.And I achieved that by fighting until the last special stage, until the last corner. I do the same thing today in raids [cross-coun-try rallies on rugged terrain that take place over several days].There are countless examples of this lesson: I studied races and opponents exhaustively, different driving styles. Years ago, there was no internet: we watched Super 8 films. And from everything I studied, the lesson was always the same: never give up!

I've already said it: utmost respect for young drivers today. Even though they drive very different cars from what I had back then,even though the races are entirely different from our marathons that lasted four, five days and covered thousands of kilometres,the path to follow is always the same: preparation-testing-approach. I don't believe I've fallen short in any of these aspects.Perhaps today, it's done in a more... technicalway, less experimental or improvised. But in the end, the path to winning is always the same.

Carlos Sainz Jr, 29, roared into Formula One with a famous name and high expectations. And he has not disappointed, earning a seat at Ferrari With a tenacious driving style that blends intelligence and instinctive speed. Ever since he started karting at the age of 10, he was tipped to become a Formula One star (like former F1 champion Sebastian Vettel,he won the prestigious Junior Monaco Kart Cup). He may be nicknamed ‘Chilli', but with his supercool nature it is only a matter of time until he adds to his one GrandPrix victory.

I was born into a racing environment. Our family has been linked to motorsports for many years and as a little kid I grew up listening to racing conversations, watching races on TV, reading car magazines and books, etc. I was never forced into liking the world of motors, but I ended up in love with it!

I think F1 is always in the vanguard of innovation and technolog-ical advances for cars. We have seen many inventions that came from our sport translated into functional, everyday features off road cars and it's always exciting to see what comes next. Tyres,engines, brakes, gearboxes... we take everything in a car to the limit and this triggers the drive to come up with new solutions,applications, materials, etc.

The cars we are driving at the moment are very spectacular to watch. People who come to the track are always surprised by their size, speed and agility and I think that attracts a lot of attention.F1 has always been very engaging, but I guess an intelligent use of modern platforms, such as social media and Netflix, has created even more hype around it and I think that is great! I love going to race venues and seeing so many fans excited about the weekend.

It's difficult to put into words to be honest. It is a mix of adrena-line, maximum focus, passion, excitement... I struggle to explain it even to my closest friends. I simply love and enjoy every single moment of it.

My personal approach is to turn pressure into motivation. The big-gest pressure I get comes from myself, because I want to performat my absolute best. Once you learn to focus on your performance and you try to achieve your own standards, it is easier to change the external pressure into motivation.

I have been extremely lucky to have the full support and advice of a World Rally Champion and Dakar Champion since the day I Decided to pursue my dream of becoming an F1 driver. My father has been my biggest critic and my biggest supporter at the sametime and this has been absolutely key for me. Whenever I made the slightest mistake, he would point it out to me immediately,but at the same time he would teach me how to improve and learn from those mistakes. One of the biggest lessons he has taught me is to pay maximum attention to every single detail.

My parents are my biggest inspiration. From a personal point of view, they have taught me the values by which I try to live my life every day. On a professional level, my father is the ongoing example of what competition in motorsport is all about: passion,sacrifice, speed, work ethic, etc.

It's difficult to pick only one. I guess fighting spirit would defi-nitely be one of the most valuable. Drivers in the past had to deal with very different circumstances, machinery, racing tracks, risks– and they kept going at it week in and week out, no matter what.That inherited fighting spirit is what keeps us going as racing drivers and what makes us push to the limit every race.