Carlos Sainz has become the director of the Formula 1 drivers’ union, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
The Spaniard fills the vacancy left by four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel who retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season and stepped down as a GPDA Director last year.
Sainz will join chairman Alex Wurtz, Mercedes driver George Russell and Anastasia Fowle as one of the leaders of the driver’s union.
The GPDA was formed in the 1960s and is often a voice for drivers over their concerns for safety or rule changes, with Wurtz and others playing a key role in the adoption of the Halo frontal cockpit protection device.
Fans have reacted to the news that Sainz will be taking on the role previously held by Vettel when taking to social media platform Instagram.
F1 fans are all saying the same thing about Carlos Sainz taking over key role from Sebastian Vettel
Sainz’s appointment has been received well from fans of F1, who believe that he is one of the best drivers on the grid to take on the role after the often outspoken Vettel.
“Driver, engineer, stategist, director of GPDA,” wrote one fan in the comments section, while another also said: “I always believed that his good speaking skills could one day lead to something like this. Go king!!”
Some took it as an opportunity to make reference to the popular meme around Sainz: “Smooth operation is about to start,” with another saying: “That’s when we know the GDPA committees will be a smooth operation cause it’s held under a smooth operator.”
Two other fans also said that Sainz is a “worthy replacement” of Vettel and that “Carlos is perfect for that role”
Carlos Sainz outspoken after recent FIA rules around swearing
The GPDA has previously been outspoken on matters recently with the FIA, notably in November last year when they wrote an open letter to the FIA asking them to treat drivers like adults.
It came after Charles Leclerc was fined €10,000 for swearing in a press conference and Max Verstappen received a community service for a similar use of language.
Sainz was outspoken about the fines that the FIA have now stipulated in their International Sporting Code around swearing, saying that it was wrong to threaten drivers with bans but agreeing they should be mindful in press conferences.
“What we say on the radio, I don’t agree with what is happening. I think you can not be too tough on these kinds of things because you cannot understand the pressure and adrenaline and the way we feel in the car when we open the radio,” Sainz told BBC.
The GPDA has so far not received a response from the FIA on the matter, while drivers in other championships have already fallen foul of the new rules.
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