Williams driver Carlos Sainz has claimed that the politics in Formula 1 is the one thing he hates about the championship.

The Spanish driver joined the Grove outfit at the beginning of 2025 after he was replaced at Ferrari by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

The replacement came as a shock to Sainz, and he was thrown into negotiations with other teams before he landed on Williams for his next move. 

While speaking on the High Performance podcast, Sainz explained that last year showed him how political sport can be, especially in F1, can be. 

“I don’t think there’s any other sport that is as political as F1,” he explained.

“You know, football can be political, but nowhere near as Formula 1. Formula 1 – there’s, for some reason, a level of politics that I don’t understand. It’s the one thing of the sport that I hate.”

When asked to clarify, Sainz added, “What makes sense for a team to have in the two seats might not be the right thing for the team. It makes sense, but it’s not the right thing.

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

“Or there’s other things coming behind the driver. Doesn’t matter if it’s sponsors, money – that makes one a bit more attractive than the other. 

“So, it’s not purely performance. Performance brings you 80% of the cake. But there’s another 20% maybe that it’s not only performance and speed.

“Or let’s say, if I am equally as quick as some other driver, that 20% is what makes the difference to be chosen over the other driver. And I feel like this is only happening in Formula 1.”

The 30-year-old explained that although he hates the political side of F1, “It’s the sport that I love and no one’s perfect. This sport is not perfect in so many ways, but it’s my life and it’s where I want to be my next years.

“And you just—one of my favourite phrases—get on with it. Just get on with it. Who cares? Just get on with it. Don’t dwell too much on it. Don’t get depressed by it. Just get on with it. And [move onto] the next thing or the next target.”

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