Carlos Sainz is nicknamed ‘Chilli’ despite not being a fan of spicy food

One of Carlos Sainz's nicknames is 'Chilli'. But the Spaniard does not particularly like spicy food, so why is he called that? Well, there's a rather simple reason behind it.

Carlos Sainz is nicknamed ‘Chilli’ despite not being a fan of spicy food

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz is a Spanish Formula 1 driver with two prominent nicknames – Smooth Operator, and ‘Chilli’. The first nickname comes from Sade’s 1984 hit ‘Smooth Operator’, which Sainz had heard during the 2019 British Grand Prix. It stuck with him and became a meme after he sang it on the radio following his P5 and P3 finishes at the Hungarian and Brazilian Grands Prix that year.

‘Smooth Operator’ is his most popular epithet, and by now, the origin is well known. But the origin of his other nickname is slightly more unknown. ‘Chilli’ itself is a plant that is widely used in dishes to add spice or ‘flavor’ to them. But why is Sainz is called that? Well, there’s rather a simple explanation for that. As you may know, both Charles Leclerc and Sainz have basically the same name. Leclerc’s is the English version, while Sainz’s name is the Portuguese/Spanish variant.

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The Spaniard has previously told how the name ‘Chilli’ came to be while answering fan ‘assumptions’ with Leclerc, back in 2021. The assumption was ‘Carlos doesn’t like spicy food, despite being called Chilli’. He admitted that he does not like ‘very spicy’ food, but he has begun to come around to ‘normally’ spicy food. When his teammate asked why he’s called Chilli.

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From Carlos to Charlie to Charles to Chilli. Like, my friends call me Charles from their Charlie, and 'baba baba' Chilli.
Carlos Sainz said.

The Monegasque thought there was a story behind it, as all of us might have done. But the 27-year-old made it clear there’s no tale to tell. 

No, there's no story behind it. I'm just called Chilli.
Carlos Sainz concluded.

Will Carlos Sainz fare better in 2023 than he did last season?

Carlos Sainz ticked off a few boxes in 2022 – his first pole and his first win included. But, on the whole, it’s clear that it could have been better. The six retirements aside, he didn’t match up to Charles Leclerc as well as his supporters would have hoped. This gap was especially apparent at the start of the season but got smaller as time went on. But for the most part, it’s fair to say his teammate had the measure of him.

Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz

There’s a period of upheaval at Ferrari right now. Frederic Vasseur will start as team principal on the 9th of January, and he has a good relationship with Leclerc. What that means for Sainz is unclear. The Spaniard has publicly stated that he’s not concerned about it, and in fact, thinks that good relationship will help Ferrari. But there were reports that Vasseur would look to enforce a first-and-second driver arrangement. If those reports prove to be true, Sainz would have to be on his A-game to avoid that.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ferrari manages this relationship. Sainz and Leclerc’s interpersonal relationship seems good, but it will be tested if the two are in the middle of a title battle. Which might just be the case. This is complicated further because there’s the Constructors’ title to think of as well. If the two crash while battling, it can be disastrous. Will the team still leave them free to fight? Or will they pick a driver for preferential treatment?

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