'He’s brought Formula 1 back home' – How Carlos Sainz became the heart of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid

As Formula 1 returns to Madrid for the first time in over four decades, with the Madring playing host to the Spanish Grand Prix, it's a particularly special weekend for Carlos Sainz.

The Williams racer's home city is Madrid, and he plays a key role as an ambassador for the event, but it's also a special weekend for the Spaniard's legion of dedicated fans. Quite simply, Sainz means a lot to the city that raised him.

Anyone who has visited Madrid knows it’s a vibrant capital. It brings together the best of Spanish culture, from music to food and art, but for years it was missing the sound and excitement of Formula 1 stopping by for a weekend.

This weekend, that changes, and Carlos Sainz, born and raised in the Spanish capital, grew up dreaming of exactly this: a home race of his own, in the place where he started karting at just 10 years old.

“When I think about Madrid, I think about my first karting races,” Sainz says. “That’s where it all started, where I started dreaming about being an F1 driver.

"Now I get to race in my home town and be the ambassador of the Grand Prix – it’s a privilege, and it’s also a chance to open the door for people from all over the world to discover Madrid at the same time.”

'One of our own'

Sainz calls it an honour to be at the centre of this weekend but, if you ask Madrid-born fans what the Spaniard means to them, and to have him racing in their city, the answers often go way back in time.

“My first real memory of Carlos is his Formula 1 debut, back in 2015 at the Australian Grand Prix", says Bea Quevedo. "He qualified eighth and finished ninth, in the points, on his very first outing, an incredible result for a rookie that nobody expected.

“I remember how thrilling it was to have another Spanish driver on the grid, and not just any driver: someone with that level of raw talent. For those of us in Madrid, it wasn’t just ‘a Spaniard in F1’; it was one of our own, a kid from our city, mixing it with the best in the world.”

Now, after 11 seasons at the pinnacle of motorsport, four victories and 29 podiums, that sense of ownership hasn’t gone anywhere in the decade since – if anything, it’s only deepened now that the sport has finally come to his home.

Madrid's own countdown

Long before lights out, Madrid had already proved it was more than ready for the weekend, living its Grand Prix before a single lap was driven. From the start of the week, fans followed Carlos Sainz's packed schedule, eager to share in the emotion of the occasion, with that passion perhaps best illustrated on Tuesday when Plaza del Callao filled up hours before he even arrived.

For his fan community, Team Fifty5, the pull runs deeper than one race weekend.

“This week, from the moment I landed, the city was already buzzing,” Sainz says. “I went to Callao and there were people there since early morning – different stories, different ages, all gathering together. It was incredible.

"Team Fifty5 has been with me through the good weekends and the bad ones, and seeing that kind of dedication and support in my own city gave me a boost I don’t take for granted.”

For Quevedo, he isn’t just a driver competing here; he’s the reason so much of this excitement feels personal to the people of Madrid. It’s that connection between the city and him that gives this week its soul.

Itziar Blazquez adds that it's that same bond that matters. “Sharing a passion with different people around the world is cool, but sharing the exact same love for the same driver creates a real bond,” she says.

Additionally, being part of the Fifty5 community, “feels like getting a step closer to a big global family that backs him no matter what.”

A home race, literally

For most drivers, a 'home race' usually means having a grandstand and the warmth of a crowd of compatriots, or at least a familiar setting. Monaco, for example, is special for many because they've lived there for years, just a few minutes from the track. For Sainz, Madrid means something far more literal.

“Madrid is my home and I’ve always been very proud of the city and my country,” he says. “I get to spend the weekend with my family and sleep at my parents’ house to then go racing – that doesn’t happen anywhere else on the calendar.

"And then on top of that, I get to do it in front of a Spanish crowd, in the city that watched me grow up. It’s going to be a very special weekend.”

Carlos Sainz’s legacy in Madrid

Whatever happens on Sunday, fans in Madrid have already made up their minds about what this weekend – and the years leading up to it – mean.

Having lived her whole life in Madrid, Blazquez can vouch for what Sainz represents to the city.

“He's the heart of motorsport in the capital of Spain, he's become a role model,” she says. To her, Sainz is someone who “represents Madrid spirit at its best: his relentless hard work, resilience, and class.”

Her message to him is simple: “You carried Madrid to the top step of the podium, to the world stage, and now you've brought Formula 1 back home. So, thanks.”