From hero to rival: Sainz reflects on his changing view of Hamilton

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In Formula 1, rivalries burn as fiercely as engines, but Williams charger Carlos Sainz has opened up about his admiration for Lewis Hamilton, the very man who replaced him at Ferrari for the 2025 season.

While the two now battle wheel-to-wheel on the track, Sainz revealed that Hamilton remains a figure of inspiration from his karting days, even if their competitive dynamic has shifted his perspective.

As a young competitor, who dreamed of one day joining motorsport’s elite, Sainz watched in awe as Hamilton claimed his first world championship with McLaren in 2008. That moment, when the young Spaniard was just 12 years old, cemented the Briton as one of his heroes.

“For me, honestly, it’s because he’s my competitor, but if I were not in F1, he would be one of my idols,” Sainz told the BBC’s Radio 1 Breakfast show with Greg James.

“When I was 10 years old is when he arrived in Formula 1 and he became world champion in 2008. I was 12 years old, and that’s when I started watching Formula 1, when he was racing Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and everyone.

“He used to be one of my idols and one of the people that I looked up to, but now he’s one of my competitors, 10, 15 years later.”

Indeed, fast forward and the competitive nature of F1 has forced Sainz to set aside his childhood admiration, viewing Hamilton purely as a rival on the grid.

Yet, his words carry a warmth and respect that highlight the profound impact the seven-time world champion had on his early years in motorsport.

A New Chapter with Williams

After his high-profile switch from Ferrari to Williams, Sainz is now leading the Grove-based outfit’s resurgence. At the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he delivered to his new team its first podium in years, taking third place after a flawless drive.

Hamilton, by contrast, finished a distant eighth in what has been a difficult debut season with Ferrari.

Despite the symbolic nature of beating his former idol on track, Sainz dismissed any suggestion that he measures himself against the Briton.

“What everyone else does is not my business, to be honest,” he said.

“What I care about is that the first opportunity that I had to score a podium with Williams, and the first opportunity Williams had to score a podium, we took it, we scored it, and there it is.”

For Sainz, Hamilton’s struggles are just part of the sport’s ever-changing narrative. Though the Spaniard no longer sees the Ferrari driver as an idol, the respect clearly remains – a testament to how far he has come from watching the Briton on TV to battling him wheel-to-wheel on track.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.