Carlos Sainz owns some spectacular supercars, but doesn’t like to drive them in public – he prefers to use his VW Golf because he doesn’t see himself as a VIP
It’s worth taking a closer look at every Volkswagen Golf GTI on the road, because it could be none other than Formula 1 star Carlos Sainz behind the wheel. The VW is the car the Spaniard uses in everyday life, even though he owns an impressive collection of supercars. He is reluctant to drive them in public because he doesn’t see himself as a celebrity.
Yet Sainz belongs to the elite of motorsport. He has already driven for Ferrari and will be competing for Williams in the 2025 Formula 1 season. Over the course of his career, he has amassed a collection of truly exotic cars. Although he has expensive cars in his garage, he doesn’t want to show them off in public. He even finds it embarrassing when he is spotted doing so.
The Spaniard explained to the Chiringuito Inside podcast: “I don’t see myself as a celebrity. I’m not like Justin Bieber or anything. When someone sees me driving a Ferrari, they think, ‘Of course he drives something like that.’” But I actually bought the car because I love it. It’s a Ferrari 812 Competizione, and when I saw it, I thought it was the most beautiful car I’d ever seen.”
Ferrari and Sainz weren’t just a fast combination on the track. The 30-year-old has also built up a close relationship with the brand away from the racing scene. Even after his departure at the end of the 2024 season, he bought more cars with the black horse emblem. His latest addition is the Daytona SP3. He was last seen driving it in Monaco, where he met up with a rival and former teammate, Lando Norris.
While Sainz drove the Ferrari, the McLaren driver was at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3. “But today I drove here in my Golf,” admits Sainz. “It’s the Golf GTI my parents gave me when I was 18. I don’t want to be seen in Madrid in a Ferrari. I don’t drive the Ferrari, it’s just parked here. There’s a reason for the Golf. I don’t like being seen and being in the spotlight.”
But he will be expanding his collection in the future, that much is certain. Two new cars are soon to become his property. “I’m getting two great cars, but I probably won’t use them,” says Sainz. “I’m embarrassed to drive them. I’ll just use them secretly sometimes, and that’s it.”