Sainz impressed with rising son’s mental strength

26th November 2011

By Anthony Peacock

Carlos Sainz Jr – the son of two-time World Rally champion Carlos Sainz – may have endured a difficult Formula 3 debut in the recent Macau Grand Prix, but his famous father believes that the 17-year-old has an even better mindset for success than his own.

Carlitos Sainz was in 10th position in Macau, his first drive in a F3 car, after working his way up from the back of the field. However, a multiple pile-up on the final lap eliminated him from the race.

"Carlitos has very good mental strength; on the whole he is very calm," said Sainz Sr. "It's really hard to make a comparison, but although he has some moments, he is probably more calm than I was at his age. For his age he is very mature. Mentally we are a bit different, but one thing that is definitely the same is that we are both prepared to work very hard to achieve our goals."

Sainz Jr's objective is to reach Formula 1, and so far he is on the right track with backing from Red Bull.

"It's easier for me to have this goal in circuit racing," explained Sainz Jr. "If I had decided to go rallying then there would be so many comparisons to my father and the pressure would be more."