Carlos Sainz has stepped into a director position at the Formula 1 drivers' union, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA).
His appointment arrives at a pivotal time for the GPDA, with heated behind-the-scenes talks aiming to soften the FIA's controversial 'driver swearing ban.'
Sainz, who's moving from Ferrari to Williams for 2025, voiced his opposition to the restriction last week, arguing that while profanity in press conferences sparks debate, drivers should have full freedom to speak their minds in the heat of the cockpit.
Ex-F1 racer Mika Salo is firmly in his corner.
"It's an absolutely ridiculous rule," Salo told Iltalehti newspaper. "I'm completely on the drivers' side here.
"F1 is the only sport in the world where the athlete has a microphone in front of his mouth at all times. With adrenaline flowing through the body, emotions are on the surface and the feedback on the team radio is immediate.
"It is unreasonable to demand that not a single bad word should be uttered in that situation," the Finn insists. "Finnish javelin throwers also roar like the devil, but no one even thinks of fining them."
Beyond safeguarding driver rights, the GPDA's core focus remains enhancing safety. Reflecting on Formula 1's future over the next 25 years, Fernando Alonso said: "I hope it doesn't stray too far from what it is now.
"Because in the last 25 years the biggest change has been in safety. The cars are very safe now, but before that there was a lot of risk for the drivers, for the mechanics, for the marshals. Formula 1 was still quite risky."
Regarding the 30-year-old Sainz's fresh GPDA duties, the Alex Wurz-led group announced that the Spaniard is "stepping into the role vacated by Sebastian Vettel."
George Russell serves as the other GPDA director.
Sainz said: "I am passionate about my sport and think we drivers have a responsibility to do all we can to work with the stakeholders to forward the sport in many aspects."
