Carlos Sainz’s WAGs and VIP complaint with key moments missed in Singapore
Carlos Sainz says many of his on-track overtakes in Singapore weren't shown on TV
Did you know Carlos Sainz made at least four on-track overtakes at the Singapore Grand Prix? Or see the laps in which Fernando Alonso took 30s out of Lewis Hamilton as the Ferrari driver struggled corner after corner to stay on the track?
That, believes Carlos Sainz, is because the cameras are cutting away from the on-track action too often to show the driver’s glamorous girlfriends or celebrities.
Carlos Sainz calls out FOM coverage with key moments missed in Singapore
Last Sunday, as Sainz raced from the back of the grid to tenth place at the Singapore Grand Prix, many of the Williams driver’s on-track overtakes weren’t seen by those watching at home.
Instead of showing some of the race’s biggest moments, there was coverage of drivers’ girlfriends, including Sainz’s partner Rebecca Donaldson, Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux, and Magui Corceiro, who is dating Lando Norris.
Added to that, the TV cameras also cut away to the celebrities watching on in the garages with their names written underneath in the captions, with some of the decisions taken by the broadcast team being a source of minor frustration for the Williams driver as he was asked repeatedly about his key moments not being shown on television.
Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE, he said: “It’s becoming a bit of a trend, which must have worked for them at one time, when people found it interesting to see our girlfriends, to see famous people on television, the reactions.
“I understand that if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race, it is understandable that the production team might want to show a reaction shot, if they have seen that this has worked in the past.
“But,” he added, “only if the competition is respected and you are always showing the important moments of the race.”
The Spaniard pointed out that many of his on-track passes, as he put in an epic recovery drive from Williams’ qualifying disqualification after the team was thrown out of the results after the slot gap for the rear wing DRS was found to exceed the maximum limit of 85mm, weren’t shown on TV.
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Much of Alonso’s tracking down of Hamilton as the Briton suffered brake failure also wasn’t aired.
“The thing is,” Sainz continued, “over the weekend they didn’t show any of the four or five overtakes I made at the end, nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis…
“You miss the most important things.
“For me, they exaggerate a little with the celebrities and girlfriends.”
The Spaniard also raised the issue of too many people being allowed into the paddock, never mind the packed grids where drivers have to battle their way past VIPS and celebrities.
“If you don’t ride a bike or scooter, you can’t even move,” said Sainz. “Years ago, the paddock lacked atmosphere, and I prefer it now, but it’s true that people should be reminded to be careful when asking people for photos because they are working.”
It’s worth pointing out that some of the TV coverage decisions from Singapore were made with producers having to make choices with the context of championship challengers racing for position near the front, as Max Verstappen held Lando Norris off for second place, while Hamilton’s wayward final lap didn’t make it to television as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris circulated back to the pits while celebrating McLaren’s second consecutive Constructors’ Championship title.
PlanetF1.com understands there hasn’t been any shift in focus in terms of broadcasting decisions in order to show more celebrities or the partners of the drivers, with FOM’s footage always having shown people of note, whether that be an interested celebrity, a key paddock person, or a person with a personal connection to a driver on track, during Grand Prix coverage.
However, that doesn’t mean that FOM’s broadcast team is tuning out criticisms, and that feedback regarding broadcast decisions will be taken on board to help with further adaptation and improvement.
PlanetF1.com approached FOM for comment, with a spokesperson clarifying, “We always focus on giving our fans the best possible footage of the race and never compromise the key focus – the racing on track.
“Our team does a great job of covering a highly complex situation with multiple cars at different points on a track and also provides great context moments of the grandstands, high-profile guests, and the locations we race at. We are always in pursuit of excellence and improvement in what we deliver.”
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