FORMULA 1 'newbie' and rising star Carlos Sainz Junior has decorated his helmet in tribute to those who have died from Covid-19, those who have survived, those who are still fighting it, and those who put themselves at risk on the front line of healthcare and other essential services.
Currently the only Spaniard at the élite end of motorsport – at least until next year when legendary double-champion Fernando Alonso is expected to restart – meaning the bar has been raised high by F1 fans in the country, Carlos has the added pressure of living up to his dad's reputation: Carlos Sainz Senior has won three Dakar Rallies and a Princess of Asturias Sports Award, meaning all attention is focused on his son to see whether he will end up being a chip off the old block.
But for the moment, Carlos Junior is simply looking forward to racing in his home country – even though fans will only be able to see him do so on TV, since circuits remain shut to on-site spectators – and the FIA allows drivers to personalise their helmets when they compete on their national turf.
At all other dates on the annual circuit, helmets have to be the same, but for home races, drivers can add pictures or slogans as they wish, and often use this opportunity to dedicate their protective headgear to pay tribute to a person or community, or in the case of Lando Norris, a drawing by a six-year-old girl for the British Grand Prix.
Norris launched a competition among his fans, encouraging them to send in their designs for his helmet, of which 'some were of extremely professional quality', he said – meaning making the choice among the 'literally hundreds' he reported receiving was incredibly tough.
In the end, a picture by Eva Muttram, six, was chosen, and the Bristol-born McLaren driver said it 'reminded him very much of himself when he was little' (see second picture, from @McLarenF1 on Twitter).
Carlos Sainz Junior has opted to display the hashtag created for Covid-19 victims and survivors and for everyone forced to carry on in their jobs or their volunteering due to being 'essential workers' and, in doing so, had to put themselves at risk of contagion at every hour of the day.
The hashtag #PorVosotros ('for you', in the plural) now graces Carlos' helmet and his Twitter page (@CarlosSainz55), where he uploaded photograph one above and has written: “For you, those who are no longer here. For you, those who are recovering. For you, the family members struggling to carry on. For you, those who look after our health. For you, those who work hard to improve this situation. This GP at home, I'm racing for you.”
Carlos says he is looking forward to racing in Montmeló (Barcelona province) and bettering his disappointing results at Silverstone, which he came away from with no points, firstly because of a puncture, and secondly because of a 'let-down' in the boxes, which he said was the third in five races and 'another case of points being chucked in the bin'.
Ahead of Silverstone, drivers and organisers staged a tribute to NHS workers, but Sainz was heavily criticised by the public and by British multiple champion Lewis Hamilton for not kneeling down in homage to the Black Lives Matter cause – even though he and every other driver was wearing a T-shirt reading 'End Racism'.
Hamilton, who has gone from resisting being defined by his race to actually embracing being the only black driver in Formula 1 – a distinction he now uses to encourage other people of colour to chase their dreams – did not name Sainz, although he did refer specifically to 'other Spanish and Russian teams' who had, in fact, knelt down in protest.
France's Charles Leclerc, Finland's Kimi Räikkönen, Denmark's Kevin Magnussen, Russia's Daniil Kvyat, Italy's Antonio Giovinazzi and The Netherlands' Max Verstappen did not go down on one knee either, but all of them agree the Black Lives Matter movement is crucial.
“I'm free not to go down on one knee and I wish people would stop going on about [the fact I did not],” Sainz said later.
“All of us drivers are against racism, but the mere fact of not bending one knee does not make you racist; it's a mere gesture, and it doesn't change anything.”
Hamilton, who was born in Hertfordshire to a white British mum and a black British dad – the son of migrants from the Caribbean island of Grenada – was the only one not wearing an End Racism T-shirt; his carried the Black Lives Matter slogan.
The 35-year-old whizz-kid says racist bullying at school caused him immense psychological damage which he still struggles with today.
Although he is believed to be single at present – saying he does not have time for a serious relationship with his F1 career – Hamilton has been romantically linked in the past year to Cindy Kimberly, a 21-year-old Dutch-Spanish model from Dénia (Alicante province).
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