SUMMARY
- Carlos Sainz Sr. wins the Dakar Rally with Audi Motorsport.
- Carlos Sainz Jr. surprised his father at the finish line of the Dakar Rally.
- Carlos Sainz Sr.'s relationship with Audi could give his son a new home in F1.
Carlos Sainz Sr. is one of the most talented rally drivers of his generation. He is famous for his achievements in WRC and the Dakar Rally. From 2006, Sainz participated in every Dakar Rally except for 2012. He had won the Rally 4 times before 2024 started.
The Dakar Rally is an independent event and is one of the most popular events in motorsports. The Rally goes on for 12 days, covering over 3000 miles in the desert in Saudi Arabia. Over 700 competitors take part in this event across 8 categories. Sainz participates in the car category.
Carlos Sainz Sr. wins the 2024 Dakar Rally
The 2024 Dakar Rally was won by Carlos Sainz Sr. finished the entire rally in 48 hrs of driving. He finished 1 over an hour earlier than the rest of the cars. This was a remarkable accomplishment. Sainz is now 61 years old but is still driving like he is in his 20s.
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As Sainz came to the finish line, his son and Formula 1 driver, Carlos Sainz Jr. was waiting to congratulate him for his victory. The father and son shared a warm embrace before the celebrations started. The Sainz family was not expected to be physically present to show support to the Spanish rally driver. However, as Carlos started to build his lead in the final stages, Sainz Jr. and the rest of the family decided to fly to Saudi Arabia to surprise the 2024 Dakar Rally winner.
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Carlso Jr. posted a video on his Instagram showing how he surprised his father at the finish line. A few days before Sainz won the Rally, the Ferrari driver posted another post showing support for his father as he was approaching the final stages of the rally.
Throughout the rally, Sainz Sr. faced a number of challenges including punctures that slowed him down. They even got some spare tires from other cars running in the same team to help them out. However, he and the team were able to overcome these challenges and win the rally.
Carlos Sainz Sr. paves a path for his son amid bleak FerrariF1future
For the past 3 years, Carlos Sainz Sr. has been participating in the Dakar Rally with the Audi Motorsport team. It is clear that the father of the Ferrari driver has a good relationship with the German manufacturer. This connection could be the start of a shock move taking Sainz Jr. to Audi.
For the past few months, there have been a number of rumors concerning Ferrari and the Spanish driver. While Sainz is looking to extend his stay with Ferrari, he is looking for a long-term contract. Ferrari is reportedly not ready to offer this to Carlos despite his success with the team.
From teh start of the 2023 season, the rumors have suggested that Carlos could leave Ferrari and join Audi as his family already has a relationship with the team. Now that Sainz Sr.’s relationship has become fruitful, it could nudge his son to leave Ferrari and join teh Audi family from the 2026 season.
🚨 | Contract talks between Sainz and Ferrari are facing obstacles.
There is still a distance between the two parties.
Details below:https://t.co/Kpxd0Yk8yD
— formularacers (@formularacers_) January 18, 2024
Carlos’ contract with Ferrari is set to expire after this season. If he is looking to drive for Audi, we could see him join Sauber for the 2025 season which would extend to the 2026 season as well. The CEO of Sauber Motorsport, Andreas Seidl is also a good friend of Carlos. When the Spanish driver was driving for McLaren Seidl was the team principal at the time.
It has been reported that Audi will be looking to win races from their debut. However, realistically, it might take them a year or 2 to get their car the optimal performance. Carlos Sainz Jr. will be a valuable asset for the team as they try to develop the car. It will be interesting to see what decisions are made by Sainz and Ferrari in the coming months.
Reviewed By: 
Rohit Kumar
Tags: Carlos SainzFormula 1
