Carlos Sainz details mindset change racing Lewis Hamilton: From idol to competitor

Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz has opened up about racing against one of his idols, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton and two-time champion Fernando Alonso are the two longest-standing drivers on the current grid, with the British driver making his F1 debut in 2007 and Alonso in 2001. Sainz explained that, while he grew up watching Hamilton when he was 12 years old, he now sees him as just a competitor.

“For me, honestly, it’s because he’s my competitor, but if I were not in F1, he would be one of my idols," the Spanish driver explained on BBC Radio 1. “When I was 10 years old is when he arrived in Formula 1 and he became world champion in 2008.

"I was 12 years old, and that’s when I started watching Formula 1, when he was racing Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and everyone. He used to be one of my idols and one of the people that I looked up to, but now he’s one of my competitors, 10, 15 years later."

Sainz was replaced by Hamilton at Ferrari for the 2025 season. After a four-year stint with the Maranello outfit, Sainz signed a contract with Williams to drive alongside Alex Albon. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw the Spaniard secure his first podium finish for the Grove outfit after a rocky start to the season.

Hamilton has also had a difficult time adjusting to Ferrari. While he claimed victory in the Chinese sprint race, the Briton is yet to stand on the podium in a grand prix with the Fred Vasseur-led team. 

"What everyone else does is not my business, to be honest," Sainz said after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when asked about scoring a podium finish before Hamilton at Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"What I care about is that the first opportunity that I had to score a podium with Williams, and the first opportunity Williams had to score a podium, we took it, we scored it, and there it is."

He added: "I think out of everyone that's changed teams — which is not an easy task nowadays — I've been very competitive from the first race, very quick, but I didn't have results with me.

"I didn't have results to prove to myself, the team, and everyone that some good things were about to come.

"But, in the end, they did. I think life has taught me many times that this sometimes happens — that you have a run of misfortune or bad performances, but then suddenly life gives you back if you keep working hard with something really sweet like this."