Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr’s life outside of F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

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Carlos Sainz Jr is one of the top drivers on the Formula 1 grid with racing in his blood, so here is everything you need to know about the Spaniard and current Williams star.

The Grove squad signed Sainz to initially replace Logan Sargeant from the 2025 season after Ferrari elected against renewing his contract to sign Lewis Hamilton. It added a fifth team to Sainz’s CV in F1 since debuting in 2015 for Toro Rosso before spells at Renault and McLaren.

Williams team principal James Vowles went all-out to convince Sainz to replace Sargeant on a multi-year contract as the teammate of Alex Albon. Yet he would ultimately take the drive Franco Colapinto finished the 2024 season enjoying as Williams dropped Sargeant mid-year.

A chance for Ferrari to tempt Hamilton from Mercedes to partner Charles Leclerc on a multi-year contract was too enticing, leaving Sainz a free agent after 2024. Even though Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix in 2023 with his victory in Singapore that term.

Carlos Sainz Jr is a product of the Red Bull driver academy programme

Sainz has enjoyed steady success throughout his racing career, both in go-karts and single-seaters. He first competed in karts in 2006 and took a second-place finish in the Cadet class of the Copa de Campeones. He also took third for the Minikart class of the Torneo Industrie.

His first title would arrive in 2008, as well, as Sainz won the KF3 class for the CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship. The Spaniard sealed the KF3 class title at the Monaco Kart Cup in 2009 during his final year in go-karts. A first single-seater title beckoned in 2011, as well.

Sainz dominated the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC season in 2011 with 10 wins from 20 races for his first title in single-seaters. Seven wins over 17 races also later saw the Spaniard claim the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series title and earn his progression to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso.

Red Bull sought to see how Sainz would fare in F1 after four years with their driver academy programme. He entered their ranks in 2010 whilst moving from go-karts into single-seaters. Red Bull also opted to put Sainz in F1 without racing in GP2, which rebranded as F2 in 2017.

Sainz made his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian GP, and even scored points in P9. But his first podium would not follow until the 2019 Brazilian GP by which point Sainz had joined McLaren. He also moved into P3 after Hamilton drew a five-second penalty.

His switch to Ferrari in 2021 also yielded Sainz’s first race win at the 2022 British GP. He won from pole position after fighting Max Verstappen, whom he did not have a great relationship with at Toro Rosso, and Leclerc. Who really is Sainz and what is his life outside of F1 like?

How old is Carlos Sainz Jr? What is the Williams driver’s age?

At the time of writing, Williams star Carlos Sainz is 31 years old and was born on September 1, 1994. Yet he did not start racing go-karts until the age of nine after visiting a karting track with his dad, Carlos Sainz Sr, the year before, with the speed grasping his excitement for the sport.

Where was Carlos Sainz Jr born? What is his nationality?

Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr was born in Madrid, Spain and races under a Spanish licence.

Carlos Sainz Jr’s full name

Carlos Sainz Sr married Reyes Vazquez de Castro in 1992, and when welcoming their second child, gave their son the full name ‘Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro’ with a merger of the couple’s respective surnames. But the F1 star mainly goes by Carlos Sainz Jr, or Carlos Sainz when not distinguished from his dad.

Meet Carlos Sainz Jr’s dad, Carlos Sainz Sr, and his family

Carlos Sainz Sr is a legend of the world of rally racing, having competed between 1987 and 2005 in the pinnacle of the discipline. He further won the WRC title in 1990 and 1992 while driving a Toyota Celica. The Spaniard has since furthered his legend in the Dakar Rally, too.

Sainz Sr won the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2010 in a specialised Volkswagen Touareg. He has also triumphed at the fabled event in 2018 in a Peugeot 3008, in 2020 in a Mini John Cooper Works Buggy and in 2024 in an Audi RS Q e-tron for Audi’s first-ever Dakar Rally win.

The Sainz family likes to enjoy their privacy outside of competing in motorsport, though. He first met Reyes Vazquez de Castro when Carlos Sainz Sr was 18 years old before the couple married in 1992. Carlos Sainz Jr is their only son, alongside daughters Ana and Blanca.

Blanca is the eldest of the siblings and shares many characteristics with her dad. Ana is the youngest and also enjoyed a racing career of her own but later secured a degree in business management. Blanca is also good friends with Sainz’s ex-McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.

Sainz is managed by his cousin Carlos Onoro Sainz, who has been in the role since 2017.

How tall is Carlos Sainz Jr? What is the Williams driver’s height in feet?

Measuring in at 1.78m tall, Carlos Sainz Jr stands at a height of 5 ft 10 in.

Carlos Sainz Jr’s girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson

Carlos Sainz Jr has been dating his current girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson, since circa June 2023. The couple were first linked together after the Formula 1 star split from his long-term partner, Isa Hernaez. Donaldson is a Scottish model and she also dated Scott Disick in 2022.

Donaldson has so far appeared on the covers of Vogue Ukraine and Marie Claire Mexico. But she also launched a brand, ‘Muse Activewear’, during lockdown in October 2020. Donaldson watched her first F1 races as Sainz’s girlfriend at the 2023 Mexico City GP and Las Vegas GP.

Carlos Sainz Jr’s Formula 1 career stats

Carlos Sainz had a strong maiden season with Williams in 2025, after being dropped by Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton last year. Despite anticipating a difficult first season with the Grove-based squad, Sainz achieved two podium finishes in Azerbaijan and Qatar, as well as securing a third-place finish during the United States Grand Prix Sprint race.