IN FORMULA ONE, blistering lap times and podium finishes are no longer the only markers of success. Today’s drivers are not just athletes, they’ve become global celebrities, brand ambassadors, and style icons whose lives off the track are scrutinised as closely as their split-second decisions behind the wheel.
Case in point, when we catch up with Williams driver Carlos Sainz, it isn’t in the pitlane, but in Cannes – but don’t worry, he assures us he’ll still make the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. As you might suspect, Sainz is in town for the film festival. More specifically, he’s here on behalf of L’Oréal Paris, with whom he has recently partnered as an ambassador.
Sainz is among the new wave of F1 drivers whose influence extends beyond the track. He’s emerged as a fan favourite, partly for his precision driving, but also for his polished appearance.
In conversation, Sainz is considered and composed, but there’s no media-trained autopilot here, just a quiet confidence and a surprising willingness to admit that, despite all he’s accomplished, there are some things he’s still figuring out – including his skincare routine.
“If I’m honest, up until I started collaborating with L’Oréal Paris, I wasn’t very into skincare,” he says, with a sheepish shrug and a fleeting glance to someone out of view, as if to check if he’s allowed to say that. “Maybe just because I was younger and didn’t need to worry about it, I’ve always been a bit of a mess in that sense.”
But now? It’s a different story. Sainz has picked up the habit, and it’s become part of his daily routine. “I’ve been learning a lot about the products [L’Oréal Paris] have and I use them a lot now,” he says. “The Men Expert Hydra Energetic Vit C Serum is part of my day-to-day routine. Apart from that, I use the normal moisturiser in the morning, especially when I shave because I get really dry around [my face] and I try to moisturise as much as possible. And then every night before bed when I shower I use a cleanser.”
As for why he chose L’Oréal Paris out of all the brands he could’ve aligned with, Sainz’s answer is an honest one.
“A lot of my fans I saw were always commenting on my TikToks and on my Instagram all about my hair, my skin. I said ‘Okay, maybe it’s a good opportunity to partner with a brand in this area’,” he laughs.
Sainz isn’t overstating the devotion of his fans, a group that now numbers 11.3 million on Instagram. On Sainz’s post announcing his partnership with L’Oréal Paris, one of the top comments simply reads “amen”. Another proudly states “in Carlos Sainz hair we trust”. A particularly popular comment that earned a tidy 3,000 likes was more direct, venturing that Sainz’s “Face card never declines.” We can confirm that these comments don’t go unnoticed, and that Sainz is aware of the effect he has on his fans.
When we ask him what L’Oréal Paris’ slogan, ‘Because I’m Worth It’, means to him, Sainz doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a very empowering slogan,” he says. “The reality is that we are all worth it. Everyone, independently of what they do in their life or the stage they are in their life, they are worth it. I’ve always been a believer in this sort of thing, because in my own experience I’ve achieved a lot of the things that maybe 10-15 years ago I wouldn’t have even dreamed about achieving.”
It’s this quiet conviction that lingers after the conversation ends. Sainz may spend most of his year chasing fractions of seconds, but in Cannes, he’s clearly learned how to pause for just long enough to enjoy the moment. And maybe watch a movie or two.
