Carlos Sainz Jr. will take to the track for Formula 1 pre-season testing, the next step in his journey with his new team, Williams. But that is not the only new role the driver is taking on this season.

Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has become a director at Formula One’s Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, which acts as a union for the grid’s stars.

Carlos Sainz has become a director of the Formula 1 drivers' body the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. The 30-year-old Spaniard, who has moved from Ferrari to Williams for this season, fills the vacancy left by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel,

Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been voted in by his colleagues as the new Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) director, replacing the now-retired Sebastian Vettel. Sainz, who was forced to find a new team after being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, will undertake additional responsibilities this season.

Overlooked by Red Bull for F1 2025 with the team wanting a support act for Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz says he cannot understand why any team wouldn’t want two drivers “who push each other”. Sainz was informed early last year that the 2024 campaign would be his last with Ferrari as they would not renew his contract after Lewis Hamilton made himself available.

As a journeyman driver between the major teams, Carlos Sainz becomes a perfect candidate for the Director's role

Carlos Sainz will become a Grand Prix Drivers' Association director ahead of the F1 2025 season. He will replace Sebastian Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022 and stepped down from the GDPA last year, in the role.

Carlos Sainz has replaced retired four-times Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), the trade union of Formula One drivers announced on Sunday.