Carlos Sainz completes private Ford test as heartwarming seat swap emerges
Carlos Sainz recently sampled his father's Ford Dakar Rally car in a test in Spain
Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz recently joined his father Carlos Sainz Sr for a pre-Dakar Rally test in Spain, it has emerged.
Sainz, who joined Williams from Ferrari ahead of the F1 2025 season, is the son of Sainz Sr, the rallying great and two-time World Rally Champion.
Carlos Sainz drives Ford Raptor T1+ in pre-Dakar Rally test
Despite retiring from the WRC at the end of 2005, the 63-year-old remains an active competitor and claimed a fourth Dakar Rally victory in 2024 – just days before it emerged that his son would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari for F1 2025.
Sainz Sr retired from this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally after his car rolled and landed on its roof after a jump on the second stage of the endurance event, with damage to his roll cage forcing him to withdraw.
The veteran is expected to chase a fifth Dakar win in the 2026 event, which is set to be held in Saudi Arabia on January 3-17.
Carlos Sainz vs Alex Albon: Williams head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Ford has revealed that Sainz recently joined his father in a Ford Raptor T1+ car in a test in Zaragoza as preparations step up for the 2026 Dakar Rally.
After stepping in to the passenger seat normally reserved for his father’s navigator, Lucas Cruz, the younger Sainz had the chance to get behind the wheel himself with his dad reading the pacenotes.
Sainz Jr has frequently spoken of his desire to try his hand at rallying over the years and memorably drove the course car – effectively the WRC equivalent of the F1 Safety Car, which carries out inspections ahead of each stage – on the final stage of the 2018 Rallye Monte Carlo.
The latest father-and-son outing comes after the Sainzs were treated to a special farewell test by Ferrari at the team’s Fiorano test track at the end of last year.
As reported by PlanetF1.com at the time, the pair took to the track together behind the wheel of the Ferrari F1-75, the car with which Sainz Jr collected his maiden F1 victory at the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
After the run, Sainz Jr gave a short speech to the Ferrari staff present – and could not resist a quip about his father’s 2024 Dakar Rally win.
He told the team: “I want to thank you all. You cannot imagine [how much this means]. You have made a grandfather a very happy man today.
“This year, a 62-year-old grandfather tries a Ferrari and wins the Dakar! Thanks to you all and see you next year on track!”
Reflecting on his F1 outing with Ferrari, Sainz Sr later told The Sun: “I have no experience in any formula championship – very, very little – so for me it was a big thing.
“I really enjoyed it a lot. The power, the handling, the braking is amazing.
“To have the chance to be there with my son, what Ferrari did for him, and invite me to drive together with him was really fantastic.
“It was an unbelievable day. I will never forget it because we really had good fun and obviously the experience to drive a modern Formula 1 car was unbelievable.”
Sainz will return to F1 action at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix having claimed his first podium for Williams at last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
More on Carlos Sainz and Williams from PlanetF1.com
Sainz’s Ford test comes after the American manufacturer, which will enter a technical partnership with Red Bull in F1 2026, announced last month that Daniel Ricciardo, the former Red Bull, Renault and McLaren F1 star, has become its global racing ambassador.
Ricciardo confirmed his retirement from motorsport in the process, 12 months after his final F1 appearance in Singapore.
In an open letter provided to PlanetF1.com to coincide with the announcement, Ricciardo revealed that the Raptor model had drawn him to accepting a role with Ford.
He said: “To all the Ford team members around the world, hey!
“I hope you’ve all had a great summer (or winter for us Aussies) and are excited for the rest of 2025.
“I wanted to write you all a quick note to coincide with some exciting news.
“While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high and for that I am proud to be partnering with Ford to become a Global Ford Racing Ambassador.
“I am going to be working closely with the Ford Racing team and specifically focus on the amazing Raptor brand and lifestyle that Raptor has become for many of Ford’s customers.
“So why now and why me?
“When I decided it was time to retire, I thought long and hard about finding the most authentic way to stay connected to the world of motorsports.
“For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime.
“I was thinking back to my core memories with Ford.
“First, when I purchased a Raptor back in 2017 before I even owned a home in the US. Priorities, am I right?
“Then, shortly after Ford announced it was partnering with Oracle Red Bull Racing, I came over to Dearborn and met senior leaders like Jim Farley (we had a ton of fun and a lot of laughs) but also had the chance [to] peak [sic] behind the curtain and see what was happening within your design department. Damn impressive.
“I then visited the team in Cologne later that summer and had a great time meeting employees, watching a live crash test and answering questions in a Town Hall.
“Throughout all these occasions, Ford and its employees’ passion for motorsports was very apparent.
“But what excites me most is how you all continue to find ways of having fun while innovating.
“Ford has built a proper business around motorsport and is using it to bring new technologies to your road cars. And nothing brings that to life better than the beloved Raptor.
“Taking my bias for ‘American-made’ and deep love for trucks out of the equation, Raptor is becoming a global powerhouse.
“I’m one of thousands of happy customers. Some of my favourite memories are road tripping behind the wheel of my Raptor and I can’t wait to add to my existing Raptor ownership, plus meet the customers who are equally passionate about their vehicles.
“I couldn’t be more excited for all the amazing drives ahead with Ford and for all the incredible projects Ford Racing has in its pipeline.
“From F1, to Dakar and from Le Mans to Bathurst, few companies have been at this for as long as you guys have.
“And from what I have seen, we have an incredible future ahead and I am so proud to be joining the team.
“So, here’s to the fun, the laughs and memories that lie ahead.
“Daniel”
Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, recently hinted that Ricciardo could return to the team in some capacity in F1 2026 following the news of his arrangement with Ford.
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