In Europe, Scuderia Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are like rock stars. In the U.S., they’re a little more like the lead singer and guitarist of an indie band that’s just about to break. The two talented drivers are sensing a sea change: Formula 1 is surging here in the States, with the enormously successful Netflix series Drive to Survive spurring record ratings for races on ESPN. And this weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix, at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, is expected to draw its largest crowd ever.
The Ferrari teammates spent a recent afternoon at a country club in Austin, driving golf balls instead of race cars while shooting social media content with professional long driver Kyle Berkshire—a teammate of theirs, in a manner of speaking, as all are Puma athletes. Leclerc, a 24-year-old Monaco native, and Sainz, a 27-year-old Spaniard, look almost like brothers—both with tousled, dark hair atop a slender frame—and acted a bit like it too, cracking jokes and teasing each other while hacking away on the tee box.
“I think you’re improving,” Sainz deadpanned, as Leclerc topped a ball 20 yards in front of him.
GQ spoke to both drivers about the F1 boom, Drive to Survive, and the appeal of the Prancing Horse.
You’ve been competing in the U.S. Grand Prix for a few years now. How has America’s enthusiasm for F1 changed over that time?
Leclerc: It’s getting bigger every year. In Europe, F1 is one of the most watched sports, but in America, that was less the case… But ever since the Netflix series, it’s given us a huge boost, and it’s great to see. There are a lot of American people texting me on Instagram and Twitter now, so there’s a lot more interest.
Sainz: I’ve certainly felt quite a bit of change in the sport’s following from social media with American fans. I think obviously Netflix had the biggest impact on that. As a sport, we’ve always been relatively [behind] closed doors, and Netflix has allowed fans in America, and all over the world, to see the personalities of the drivers.
There are no American drivers in F1, so a lot of new fans in the States are trying to pick a team and driver to support based on the show. Why do you think Americans should support you and Ferrari?
Leclerc: For me, Ferrari is the most iconic team ever in Formula 1 – they’ve achieved so much and have been there from the beginning. They’re such an incredible team, and have had most of the legends of the sport. Why support me? Well, I don’t know…I’m trying to do the best job possible, and if they like my personality from interviews and Netflix, then why not? But I’m not very good at selling myself, so hopefully my skills on the race track are good enough for them to start supporting me.
Sainz: The season three episode [of Drive to Survive] about Ferrari is not so great, and I was relatively disappointed when I watched it because Ferrari is a lot cooler, a lot bigger, a lot better, than how it appears [in that episode]. We were just going through a rough patch, and I think all great teams in every single sport go through difficult years. And now we are on our way back up. We are doing everything we can to make this team great again and champions again, and I think we have a really good team atmosphere going on with Charles and the engineers, and we are a serious contender for the future. And I mean, it’s Ferrari – who doesn’t like Ferrari in normal life?
Speaking of team dynamic, Carlos: A lot of fans loved your bromance with your former teammate, [McLaren F1 Driver] Lando Norris. How’s the bromance going with Charles in your first year with Ferrari?
Sainz: Bromance is a strong word, but we are getting on very well, having a lot of fun away from the race track and even on [it]. We keep the competition clean and fun, we’re pushing the team in the same direction, pushing each other really hard. It’s the perfect atmosphere for the team, and we play a lot of sports together – like today, golf – always hanging around, and it’s good fun.
Austin is known as a top foodie city. Is there anything you always make sure to eat while you’re here for the race?
Leclerc: Of course, I think barbecue. Every time we come, the whole team wants to go – which is exactly what I will do just after I’m done here.
Sainz: I really like brisket, because we don’t get this in Europe. We can get good beef ribs, good pork ribs, but not brisket. I don’t know why it is a specialty here and we can’t replicate that.
Speaking of food, Carlos, you had a funny moment earlier in the season when a young fan asked you whether pineapple is an appropriate topping on pizza—and you were horrified.
Sainz: Yeah, I was affected by it.
Some places in Texas offer barbeque chicken pizza. Is that an acceptable topping?
Sainz: I live in Italy now, and if you ask an Italian what you would never put on a pizza, they would first say pineapple, and second: chicken. So pineapple and chicken on a pizza, you’re killing them. You’re doing something you shouldn’t. Have it in America if you want, but don’t go to Italy and ask for a chicken pineapple pizza, because then you’ll have a serious problem.
Circuit of the Americas is a tricky race track. What will be the most difficult part of this weekend’s race?
Leclerc: Try[ing] to find the right setup to fit this extremely demanding track. It’s also very bumpy.
Sainz: [It’s] the bumpiest track of the season, so we need to take that into account. It will also be warm and tough on the tires.
Any prediction for this weekend’s winner?
Sainz: Ferrari 1-2, ha! I guess Mercedes and Red Bull will dominate the Grand Prix, and hopefully it’s us in front of McLaren to keep the battle [for third place] alive. It’s going to be interesting for the championship… to see how [Lewis] Hamilton and Max [Verstappen] go, since it’s starting to get very tasty up front.
Leclerc: I feel like this year is a very exciting season with lots of opportunities. Maybe it’s not one of our strongest tracks, but if we do absolutely everything right, with a little bit of luck, I’m sure we can have a good result.