How Is Carlos Sainz’s Record At China?

He is one of the most popular drivers out there with his name being recited perhaps more often nowadays than it has ever been in the past. His popularity has arguably grown exponentially this year thanks to a string of successful and consistent showings at challenging venues like Bahrain, Australia and Japan as seen in 2024.

Moreover, given his recent run of form, there are many who have begun to question whether his current racing stable erred quite a bit in letting him go with his contract expiring at the end of the 2024 season.

But while there are all sorts of opinions being formed around what course might his future take, one can’t possibly forgo the question of just how good a record does Carlos Sainz Jr hold at the next approaching Formula 1 Grand Prix.

To that end, it’s important to pose an inquiry, to be precise, with regard to Carlos Sainz’s record at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Formula 1’s next contest is bound to take place over the course of the approaching weekend at China. This brings back the Chinese Grand Prix from the brink of what has, until recently, been a visible absence from the calendar.

The last that a Grand Prix took place at China, Valtteri Bottas was at Mercedes where Hamilton was the dominant star, Verstappen hadn’t yet become a World champion, Ricciardo was in full form, Vettel and Raikkonen on the track and Leclerc in his first year of wearing red racing overalls.

However, Carlos Sainz back in 2019, was with McLaren, which was the first of his two seasons with the Papaya-liveried team.

And that year, Sainz drove a rather forgettable race at China with McLaren, scoring no more than a lowly P14.

But if you were to talk of a bigger, fuller perspective, then it’s important to reflect on Carlos Sainz’s overall record at the Chinese Grand Prix.

What happened when Carlos Sainz first raced at Shanghai?

In all, Sainz has driven around the Shanghai International circuit on five previous occasions. The first that Carlos Sainz raced at the 56-lap contest at Shanghai was back in 2015, which is when he was paired with Max Verstappen at Scuderia Toro Rosso. Back then, he would score a thirteenth.

Of the five times that Sainz has battled at China, he hasn’t ever scored a podium, which also draws the interesting probability if his red hot (current form) can in fact yield a first top three result at the Chinese Grand Prix?

Moreover, Carlos Sainz has scored points in three of his previous five attempts at China.

What is Carlos Sainz’s best result at China?

Twice he scored a P9- once each with Toro Rosso and McLaren; however, his best performance at the venue remains the fighting Seventh he scored with Scuderia Toro Rosso.

The 2017 Chinese Grand Prix, an event aced by the incredible Lewis Hamilton has remained Carlos Sainz’s best-ever performance at the famed Asian venue.

The very fact that the noted Spanish talent has insofar never claimed a top-five finish, let alone a podium, leaves a lot to desire. But given his own incredible touch as recently seen by a ‘driver-of-the-day’ performance at Suzuka (3rd, starting from P4) and a car that is holding rather well as far as race pace is concerned, the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix could be an electrifying battleground for the Madrid-born.

Knowing his penchant for constant self-improvement, Carlos Sainz Jr. would be hungry to perform really well at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. That said, also important to note that the most recent race winner at the track is Finnish Valtteri Bottas.