Carlos Sainz Sr.
Carlos Sainz Cenamor (born 12 April 1962) is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times. Constructors' world champions to have benefited from Sainz are Subaru (1995), Toyota (1999) and Citroën (2003, 2004 and 2005). In the 2018 season he was one of the official drivers of the Team Peugeot Total. He received the Princess of Asturias Sports Award in 2020. Sainz founded the Acciona | Sainz XE Team to join Extreme E and competed in the first two seasons alongside Laia Sanz.
Sainz in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Full name | Carlos Sainz Cenamor |
| Born | 12 April 1962 Madrid, Spain |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1987–2005 |
| Co-driver | Antonio Boto Luis Moya Marc Marti |
| Teams | Ford, Toyota, Lancia, Subaru, Citroën |
| Rallies | 196 |
| Championships | 2 (1990, 1992) |
| Rally wins | 26 |
| Podiums | 97 |
| Stage wins | 757 |
| Total points | 1,242 |
| First rally | 1987 Rally Portugal |
| First win | 1990 Acropolis Rally |
| Last win | 2004 Rally Argentina |
| Last rally | 2005 Acropolis Rally |
Nicknamed El Matador, Sainz previously held the WRC record for most career starts until Finnish co-driver Miikka Anttila broke the record. He was also the first non-Nordic driver to win the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. He came close to repeating the feat at the Swedish Rally, finishing second four times and third twice. Alongside his WRC successes, he has won the Dakar Rally (2010, 2018, 2020, 2024), the Race of Champions (1997) and the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (1990). His co-drivers were Antonio Boto, Luis Moya, Marc Martí and Lucas Cruz.
His son, Carlos Sainz Jr., is also a professional racing driver, currently competing for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One. He also has an older brother named Antonio Sainz, born on 10 December 1957, who was also a rally driver.