Carlos Sainz has warned his father that he may not enjoy the “politics” of running for FIA president as the rally driver considers his bid.

Carlos Sainz Snr has emerged as a candidate to oppose incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in this year’s elections but his son has warned him it is not all straightforward.

Carlos Sainz gives verdict on father’s FIA presidential run

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Even following the rumours of a bid, Ben Sulayem has looked to strengthen his position with reports of statute changes that would make it harder for anyone to oppose him but despite the opposition, Sainz Snr is considering a run.

Speaking for the first time since the news broke, Sainz Jnr backed his dad for the role but warned him there would be politics that come with it,

“We’ve been talking about it for a while now. Interestingly enough, I think it’s something that didn’t actually come from him, like a lot of people were kind of putting it in in his head, and little by little, he started considering it,” Sainz said.

“I think the key is that he still hasn’t put together a team but he’s considering it, and depending obviously how he sees it, he will go for it or not.

“I think that’s a negative side now of it, the politics, but I think that if there’s a guy that could remove politics from it, it could be my dad because he sticks to common sense and has very basic rules of going about life.

“And I think that’s why so many people went to him, to push him maybe to potentially do it. So there’s politics, he will probably not enjoy that part of the work, but he knows it’s part of it.”

Asked on whether his dad would be a better president than Ben Sulayem, Sainz admitted he was biased but said no one understands motorsport better.

“I’m biased, but just honestly speaking from the most objective position possible, it doesn’t come to my head anyone that has lived through all the karting days with his son and knows the roots of motorsport in go-karting, as he did four or five years of go-karting with me. He did four or five years of single-seaters with me, knowing how tough, expensive, and difficult that ladder is. He’s done 10 years in Formula 1 with me. He’s done 40 years of rallying.

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“He does a lot of mobility, working in Spain, so a guy that covers so many experiences in so many different areas of motorsport, coming to the end of his career, obviously in racing, and trying to find a way to give back to motorsports what motorsports has given to him.

“I think he is – from the most objective position that I can find, obviously being his son – a very optimal candidate.

“Whether he will decide to do it or not, it’s obviously completely up to him.”

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