Later this week, Carlos Size Jr. will move on to the track for the Formula 1 preseason test, the next step in his journey with his new team, Williams.
But that's not the only new role drivers have for this season.
Size fills the previously held spots Sebastian Vettel, who joined the Grand Prix Driver Association as director and retired from Formula 1 in 2022. Sainz joins George Russell as a board member of the Formula 1 Driver Union along with legal consultant Anastasia Foret, and former Formula 1 driver Alex Weltz.
in Sainz shared on social mediaHe said, “I'm passionate about my sport and believe that our drivers are responsible for doing everything they can to work with stakeholders to transfer the sport in many ways. Masu.
“So I'm so happy to be able to do my part by taking on the role of supervising at the GPDA.”
“I'm pleased that you welcomed Carlos as GPDA director. He has been an active and enthusiastic member of the GPDA for several years and I am truly grateful for his commitment to step into this important role,” Wurz said. It states.
This move comes at a critical time for sports.
Ahead of the 2025 motorsport season, the FIA (Formula 1 governing body) has announced a drastic set of changes to the sports code to codify penalties for “driver misconduct.” These changes follow the 2024 season, when the oath became a flashpoint for F1. Max Verstappen was ordered to join Community Services after being sworn at a press conference prior to the Singapore Grand Prix. Other drivers, such as Charles Leclerc and Yukitsunoda, were also fined for oath and using competent language, respectively.
Under the new guidelines, drivers are facing escalating fines, suspensions and even deductions at oath championship points. The first penalty was distributed at the World Rally Championship recently in Sweden. This was the driver of the 16th Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, Adrian Formoor, conducted a live interview with Rally.TV. In that interview, Fourmaux referenced the mistakes he made in the previous stages. “I had a beautiful stage, ruts are really difficult,” he said. “I think it's difficult to have a good time. There's a lot of cleaning at first. I did f*** yesterday. [referring to a stage 11 incident]. ”
The steward was fined 4maux 10,000 euros, and another 20,000 euros was suspended over the course of a year.
Last November, the GPDA submitted a letter to the FIA regarding the police in languages, demanding that they be treated as an “adult.”
Talk to media including SB Nationat the US Grand Prix last October, Russell showed that it was a bit “silly” that the oath spat escalated to that level. “There's been a lot of talk among drivers about what you know, what you swear. It seems a bit ridiculous that Russell started out and that's what came to this. So, I haven't spoken to the FIA yet, but I'm hoping to do so next week, probably in Mexico.
“But collectively, we're all on the same page. Yeah, next week we probably officially put something on you guys to read from the driver.”
That was before the changes to the sports code created before this season.
When Williams announced the FW47 at Silverstone a few weeks ago, and after the fine levies on fourmaux – Sainz dealt with the oath debate. In certain situations, drivers should be aware of their language, but there are others who should allow them to express their emotions freely.
“My honest opinion, in press conferences, drivers should be mature enough to control the oath. I don't think they should swear in these circumstances,” Sainz began. “I'm in favor of working as a group — when all kids watch us in press conferences and in front of the media, they at least have good behavior and decent vocabulary. That's not too difficult I think so.
“Do you need a fine or do you need to manage it for that? I don't know, but I support being always well spoken and well mannered, in front of the microphone or in front of the media. I'm doing it.”
After that, Sainz worked on radio communications in the car.
“At the same time, do you think this is too much for wireless communications, adrenaline, and pressure inside the car? Yes, I think there's too much that the FIA is trying to achieve with the ban and everything,” Sainz said.
“For me, it's a fundamental part of sports and you can see real emotions, real pressure and real excitement for your voice.
According to Sainz, what fans are hearing from the driver at the moment is part of F1's passion.
“And as long as it's not an offensive word to anyone, it's just a vow word, you can see that I'm emotional, I'm too controlled I don't think we should, there's a lot we experience in our car,” Sainz added.
“And trust me, you don't want to put the microphone on the football pitch. [players] This is a comparable situation.
“It's good to see real drivers, so there are these kinds of moments. We've already been very constrained in terms of what we can tell you about our team, what we can do about our situation. We have it. There are already a lot of media briefings. They already tell us what to say,” Williams' driver continued.
“I'm not easy on the radio, but when I hear those passions, when I hear those words, even if I swear on the radio, it's the F1 keeper, and that's what we should do. No. Remove.
In his new role in the GPDA, Sainz will have a major impact on how the FIA handles and implements these changes in sports code.
Given his approach and his thoughts on the issue, it should be a very good thing.
