Every time Carlos Sainz Sr. went up to the podium, he did so accompanied by the same flag. In total, the badge accompanied the rally driver in 26 victories, 97 podiums and two world championship titles, but the history of the flag had only just begun.
On Sunday Carlos Sainz Jr. won the victory at the Silverstone circuit and celebrated the feat with the flag inherited from his father and that his “uncle”, Juanjo Lacalle, had saved for him.
The 27-year-old rider from Madrid has carried the badge in his luggage since the 2015 World Cup and has passed through the fourth of the different teams.
Juanjo Lacalle was Carlos Sainz Sr.’s co-driver for several years and he was the one who bought and always carried the flag. After years saved, in 2014, when the Formula 1 driver turned 20, Lacalle decided to give the fabric to the son of his partner.
After the victory, the man from Madrid confirmed that it is the same flag. The rally driver continues to use the badge in his victories, but his son has stated that there is no problem in sharing it: “I also have to celebrate other things, but our seasons do not coincide and that is lucky.”
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