Carlos Sainz gives the lowdown on the relationship with his ‘idol’ Fernando Alonso amidst rift rumors

There have been rumors that all is not well between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, and the Ferrari driver has responded to them now.

Carlos Sainz gives the lowdown on the relationship with his ‘idol’ Fernando Alonso amidst rift rumors

Carlos Sainz (L) | Fernando Alonso (R)

There are two Spanish drivers on the grid: Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. Between them, they share all of the wins for Spain. Of course, Alonso has 33, while Sainz only has 1. The latter driver grew up watching the older driver race, and win championships. In fact, Alonso is Sainz’s racing idol – and it was through him, that the now Ferrari man fell in love with the sport.

But lately, some, including Peter Windsor, have alleged that the relationship between them is not so good, or has broken down. On two consecutive weekends, they have been involved in ‘incidents’. In Australia, Sainz hit the back of Alonso and spun him around, though this did not matter for the eventual result. In Baku, the two-time world champion initially felt he had been squeezed into the wall, during the sprint race.

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But according to Sainz, there is no problem between him and his compatriot. It’s just racing. The Ferrari driver told MARCA: “There is no problem between Fernando and me despite what some have tried to show. Our relationship continues to be very good and it is neither the first nor the last battle that we are going to have on the track.”‘

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He feels that as long as there is respect between drivers, battling each other is no issue – and should not lead to a breakdown in their relationship. Sainz continued: “It is normal for some actions to be tighter than others, but with the visor down we all want the same thing and fight for what is ours. It’s the beauty of racing and as long as there is respect between all the drivers there will be no problem.”

Read More: Carlos Sainz concedes that fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso currently has a better chance to win F1 races than him

Carlos Sainz would be supporting Fernando Alonso if he “were at home”

Fernando Alonso (L) and Carlos Sainz (R)
Fernando Alonso (L) and Carlos Sainz (R)

Right now, there’s quite a bit of hype surrounding Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. They’ve taken a great step from last year, and on race pace, are likely the second-best team. Alonso has led their charge to the top, with 3 podiums in four races. If they continue on this upward trajectory, it seems it will only be a matter of time before the team fights for wins. Fans have long waited to see Alonso’s 33rd win – it’s been almost a decade.

But Sainz won in Silverstone last season – the 33rd victory for Spain. Cited this by MARCA, he said: “The Spanish 33.” and laughed. But if he were not in F1, he says, he would support Alonso. The Spaniard added: “I am realistic and I always try to put myself in the shoes of others… If I were at home watching Formula 1, I would also be supporting Fernando. In the end it is he who has won the two World Cups… He has made me come to F1, that I fell in love with this sport.”

Right now, of course, they are rivals. So, on track, they will look to beat each other. It seems that the championship is building towards a Red Bull title win, but the fight for P2 could be interesting. Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes are relatively close together. In the next few races, all three are expected to introduce upgrades. These will help them not only against Red Bull but against each other as well. As such, expect to see Sainz and Alonso clashing on track even more.

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