The news that Carlos Sainz Sr is contemplating a run for the FIA presidency has created quite a stir, mainly because the 63-year-old is such an obvious potential candidate.
Universally respected, he brings with him the knowledge and experience gained not just during his own sporting career, but also from nurturing and guiding that of his son Carlos Jr.
At the moment it remains just an idea, and the former World Champion is clearly gauging the interest. However it would be naïve to think that he hasn’t already attracted useful support from around the world of motor sport, and potentially from senior FIA folk.
What matters of course is getting support from within the wider body of the FIA and the voting members, and it remains to be seen how that develops in the coming months, given that Mohammed Ben Sulayem scored such a convincing victory back in 2021.
Sainz will also have to come up with a full team, including deputy presidents for sport and mobility, and a head of senate.
The bottom line is that a challenge to the incumbent is a healthy thing and a good test of the democratic process in any field – may the best candidate win, and so on.
On Thursday in Imola Carlos Sainz Jr gave an intriguing insight into his father’s mindset, while stressing that the inspiration for him to stand came from elsewhere.
“Obviously we’ve been talking about it for a while now,” he said. “Interestingly enough, I think it’s something that didn’t actually come from him.
“A lot of people in the paddock were kind of putting it in his head, and little-by-little, he started considering it, and now he’s obviously thinking about it.
“I think the key is that he’s still hasn’t put together a team. But he’s considering it, and depending obviously how he sees it and sees his fit, he will go for it or not.”
So is he the right man for the job? Carlos Jr cites his dad’s vast experience of all forms motor sport.
“I’m his son, so I’m biased!,” he said. “But I just honestly speaking from the most objective position possible, it doesn’t come to my head anyone that has lived through all the karting days with his son, and knows the roots of motor sport in go-karting, as he did four or five years of go-karting with me.
“He did four or five years of single-seaters with me, knowing how tough, expensive, difficult is that ladder. He’s done 10 years in F1 with me. He’s done 40 years of rallying, raids. He does a lot of mobility work in Spain.
“So a guy that covers so many experiences in so many different areas of motor sport, coming to the end of his career, obviously, in racing, and trying to find a way to give back to motorsports what motorsports has given to him.
“From the most objective position that I can find, obviously being his son and obviously a very optimal candidate. Whether he will decide to do it or not is obviously completely up to him.
“But interestingly enough, as I said, it didn’t actually come from him, it came from a lot of people in the paddock putting it on his ear. And he started, maybe? It’s actually not so much from him, but people coming to him and suggesting it.”
So how likely is the bid to come to fruition?
“I can just tell you that he’s considering it seriously,” says Carlos. “Like he said, he’s evaluating all the options, obviously, now starting to think what team, what people, individuals, he would like to have in his team. He’s trying to understand how the elections work, how much convincing, how many people he needs to obviously go and talk to.
“But he’s evaluating the whole thing, and trying to understand how everything works. It’s his thing now. I’m obviously very busy here with Williams, doing my own thing, so I’m leaving it to him, in a way, and he gives me an update of the situation every one or two weeks, how much progress he’s doing, or what’s the situation. And he obviously wants my opinion, but not more than that.”
It’s not an easy job, and inevitably you can’t please everybody. Does Sr have a thick enough skin to cope with the challenges and criticism he’ll face?
“He seems more up for it in a way, where he has a thick enough skin to deal with it,” says Sainz Jr.
“My mum, maybe not so much! She’s like, come on, now that you are about to retire, give yourself a break, or do something not so demanding as this. But my dad is just non-stop.
“He loves motor sport, he loves racing, and he sees there an opportunity to put an end to his racing career, but still do something further, still actively, and find ways to give back to motorsport, and give back to the FIA, an entity that he has a lot of respect for, for all his years.
“And he knows what the FIA has done over the last 20-30 years, to improve safety in motorsport, to improve everyone’s life here in in motorsports. So he feels like he could give back, and that motivates him.”
Inevitably people will question how a serving FIA president could have a son racing in the organisation’s flagship championship.
However it’s inevitable that any credible candidate with relevant experience will have connections of some sort with teams, manufacturers and drivers.
When Jean Todt was president his son Nicolas was an active driver manager and team co-owner, and that wasn’t seen as a conflict. Carlos Jr is confident that it won’t be an issue.
“I’ve been trying to think scenarios where it could, but I actually don’t see any way how that could be seen,” he says. “If anything, obviously, he will be extremely careful. I will be extremely careful, because the last thing that I want is my or his image or career to be damaged by that situation.
“So if anything, we would do the opposite effect, and I don’t see any conflict of interest the moment you personally know my dad or you personally know me. We are honest people that would never, ever compromise that situation in motorsport.”
Adam Cooper F1 