Five years after Carlos Sainz left McLaren, his former team and his former teammate are the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. As he watched Lando Norris reach the summit of world motorsport, did he ever think ‘that could have been me?’.  
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Carlos reflects on leaving McLaren and becoming a race winner with Ferrari before joining Williams. He remembers feeling ‘powerless’ during a difficult start to the 2025 season, and reveals the work which led him to stand on the podium later in the year.
Carlos gives his first impressions of the 2026 F1 cars and explains why he wants to use the ‘peak’ of his career to take Williams back to the top.


Listen to other official F1 Podcasts
F1 Nation Australia Grand Prix Preview
F1 Explains: what you need to know for 2026


This episode is sponsored by: 

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<div>Five years after Carlos Sainz left McLaren, his former team and his former teammate are the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. As he watched Lando Norris reach the summit of world motorsport, did he ever think ‘that could have been me?’.  </div><br><div>Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Carlos reflects on leaving McLaren and becoming a race winner with Ferrari before joining Williams. He remembers feeling ‘powerless’ during a difficult start to the 2025 season, and reveals the work which led him to stand on the podium later in the year.</div><br><div>Carlos gives his first impressions of the 2026 F1 cars and explains why he wants to use the ‘peak’ of his career to take Williams back to the top.</div><br><div>
<p><strong>Listen to other official F1 Podcasts</strong><br><a href="https://www.podfollow.com/f1-nation">F1 Nation Australia Grand Prix Preview</a><br><a href="https://www.podfollow.com/f1-nation">F1 Explains: what you need to know for 2026</a><br> </p><p>This episode is sponsored by: </p><p>Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at <a href="http://shopify.com/beyondthegrid">shopify.com/beyondthegrid</a></p><p>Quince: go to <a href="http://quince.com/GRID">quince.com/GRID</a> for free shipping and 365-day returns.</p><p>CarGurus: buy or sell your next car today with CarGurus at <a href="http://cargurus.com">cargurus.com</a></p></div>

Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.

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