Carlos Sainz softens stance after ‘spicy girlfriends’ comment adds unexpected twist to F1 criticism

Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz claimed that his comments regarding girlfriends being on the race broadcast during the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix were blown out of proportion amidst recent criticism. The Spanish driver expressed his displeasure over the race broadcast in Singapore, believing that viewers had missed many crucial overtakes made by him and two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso during the final few laps of the race.

Although the iconic Marina Bay Circuit has been notorious for overtaking, the race broadcast largely focused on the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris battle for P2 while cutting away to several drivers' partners occasionally.

Carlos Sainz raised the point in an interview following the race, claiming that he believed the F1 broadcast had prioritized showcasing the WAGs over the crucial on-track action. After his comments gained traction between the two races, Carlos Sainz softened his stance on the subject and told the media in Austin, saying:

"I think, like always, my comments were blown a bit out of proportion, and I think the fact that I mentioned the girlfriends or WAGs brought a bit of spice to the comment, and it went a bit more viral worldwide.

"What it should have been was just a simple critique, as it was clear in Singapore that the broadcast didn't do a good job, as there are other races where they do an incredible job and show us incredible things and incredible track action."

Carlos Sainz had made a series of overtakes after his late pitstop allowed him to attack the grid on fresher tires and finish in P10 after starting the race from the back of the grid and score for a second weekend running.

F1 photographer backs Carlos Sainz's race coverage claims

F1 photographer Kym Illman stated that he partially agreed with Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz's claims that the race broadcast in Singapore missed out on overtaking and interesting action on the track.

In his video uploaded on YouTube, the Aussie broke down Sainz's claims and said:

“The thing that I think was the more important part of Carlos’s comment in that radio interview was the fact that the F1 coverage didn’t show any of the important battles.

"They missed the Alonso-Hamilton battle, which in hindsight turned out to be one of the most interesting, given that Lewis had no brakes for those last two laps. It’s important to note they weren’t crossing to Carmen or Magui at that time. They were showing the McLaren crew celebrating and other goings on in parc ferme.”

F1 broadcast has often been critisized for a similar issue over the last couple of years, as many fans complained that they had missed out key moments during the race, which were pivotal to the race standings.