Carlos Sainz tackles conflict of interest concerns in dad’s FIA presidency bid

Carlos Sainz has brushed off suggestions that his father’s mooted bid to run for FIA president would represent a conflict of interest given he races in F1.

It has emerged that Sainz’s father, Carlos Sainz Sr, is weighing up standing against the incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the FIA’s presidential elections later this year in December.

While news of the two-time World Rally champion’s consideration has largely been met with a positive reaction by many in the motorsport world, some concerns have been raised about a possible conflict of interest because his son races in F1.

However, the Williams driver was quick to dismiss the notion there would be a conflict of interest if his father were to become FIA president.

"Very simply because my dad and me, we would part ways. He would not be my manager anymore,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1 ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

"I'm a 30-year-old Formula 1 driver that also has his manager, my cousin. We would just simply stop.

"Whoever knows my dad or knows me personally, knows we would never do anything that would mean conflict of interest.”

Sainz reveals father has plenty of support

The former Ferrari driver revealed that his dad has been supported and encouraged by “a lot of people in the paddock” to run for FIA president.

"First of all, it's a possibility, it's not that he's going to present himself for sure, or he's going to become a candidate. He's just considering it,” Sainz added.

"To be honest, it also didn't come much from him. It came from a lot of people in the paddock suggesting it to him and putting the idea in his head, and he started considering it.

"He's going to obviously evaluate his options, his candidature and his possibilities. I can only say from being his son and being obviously a big fan of his, I think he fits very well the profile.

"I think no one understands better motorsport than my dad across so many ranges, from rallying, to go-karting - because he came with me to all the go-kart races - to all the single-seater ladder, to Formula 1 now.

"He has quite a broad experience of everything, including mobility with everything that he does in Spain.

"He definitely fits the profile but it's going to be up to him whether he thinks he's fit to consider to be a candidate or not."