Carlos Sainz says there would be no conflict of interest if his father runs for FIA presidency
Williams driver Carlos Sainz denied the suggestion that there would be any conflict of interest if his father, Carlos Sainz Sr., ran for the presidency of the FIA.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem is up for re-election at the end of this year and his term as FIA president (dating back to 2021's end) has been filled with controversy. A credible candidate has yet to step up to the plate to challenge Ben Sulayem, but last week, Sainz Sr., who is widely considered to be one of motorsport's greatest rally drivers as a double world champion, revealed to motorsport.com that he is considering it. He denied there would be any conflicts of interest with his son racing in Formula One and also working as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
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'I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that this will not be an issue. Obviously, I will have to step down regarding my role with Carlos and his career but this is not an issue at all,' Sainz Sr. said to motorsport.com. 'He's not a child anymore, he has been in F1 for a decade now and we both know that if I go ahead with this project our relationship will change, of course. The FIA is a very serious entity and there will be no conflict.'
The younger Sainz reiterated a similar point Thursday at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, saying how he's 'been trying to think (of) scenarios where it could, but I actually don't see any way how that could be seen.' He claimed both sides would be 'extremely careful,' before adding, 'the last thing that I want is my or his image or career to be damaged by that situation.'
At this point and time, the 63-year-old two-time World Rally champion is not even officially running for president. He is looking into the matter after a number of people in the F1 paddock suggested the idea to him, Sainz Jr. said Thursday in Imola. But now, Sainz Sr. is considering who he would want on his election team and gain a better understanding about how the FIA elections work, his Williams driver son later added.
Before announcing any FIA presidency bid, Sainz Sr. would have to navigate complex workings within the governing body regarding its rules on who can stand in such elections. The BBC reported this week that Ben Sulayem is also moving to tighten these procedures even further, which could potentially bar any opposition candidate from running against him.
But considering how the FIA is the governing body of global motorsport, his father's breadth of experience does make him 'a very optimal candidate,' Sainz claimed.
Sainz Sr. has competed in rallying for over 40 years, making his start in 1980. He has won the Dakar Rally four times, most recently with Audi last year, and won the World Rally Championship in 1990 and 1992. But in addition to building his legendary career, Sainz Sr. has been involved in his son's career progress since he was starting out as a young go-kart racer.
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'I'm biased, but I just honestly speak from the most objective position possible. (It) doesn't come to my head (that) anyone that has lived through all the karting days with his son and knows the roots of motorsport in go-karting (wouldn't be a suitable FIA president candidate),' Sainz said Thursday. 'He did four or five years of single-seaters with me, knowing how tough, expensive, difficult that ladder is. He's done 10 years in Formula One with me.'
Sainz, who made his F1 debut with what was then called Toro Rosso in 2015, later touched on how his dad has also been involved in multiple different areas of motorsport – including his rallying career and 'mobility work in Spain.'
If Sainz Sr. was to run, 'this isn't probably as big a step as some may think,' Williams team principal James Vowles said earlier this week, after touching on Sainz Sr.'s career to date. As the rally legend comes to the end of his racing career, he's 'trying to find a way to give back to motorsports,' his son said Thursday.
'He loves motorsport, he loves racing and he sees there an opportunity to put an end to his racing career but still do something further 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 for the last 20-30 years to improve safety in motorsport, to improve everyone's life here in motorsport. So he feels like he could give back and that motivates him.'
The one part of the job that Sainz Sr. may not enjoy would be the political battles, Sainz said. After all, F1 alone is known as the Piranha Club, and that's just one of the seven world championships the FIA oversees.
'But I think that if there's a guy who could remove politics from it, it could also be my dad because he sticks to common sense and very basic rules of going about life and things,' Sainz said. 'And I think that's why so many people went to him, to push him, maybe, to potentially do it.'
Additional reporting by Luke Smith
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