Live to compete

The first person to win a stage of the Dakar Rally in a hybrid electric vehicle, the three-time Dakar winner and dual world Rally Champion, Carlos Sainz is one of the greats. But while many retire to reflect on a great career, the man they call El Matador continues to race – and continues to win.

When he gets behind the wheel of the Audi RS Q e-tron E2 on December 31 this year, it will be for the start of his 16th Dakar Rally, and will be the oldest driver in the event. Yet there is no doubting the fact that Sainz will as always, be one to watch.

A new documentary series on Red Bull TV charts the extraordinary career of the legendary Carlos Sainz. Called Sainz: Live to Compete it looks at his early days of motorsport, starting in 1980 when Spanish names were few and far between in the sporting headlines of the world.

It shows how he paved the way for the likes of of Formula One's Fernando Alonso and, extending the family dynasty, Carlos Sainz Jr of Ferrari fame.

Featuring interviews with the leading names in motorsport, archival video, family footage and the recollections of Sainz himself, the six-part series goes inside a career that made motorsport front-page news in Spain, and made Spanish sports newsworthy around the world.

Described by two-time World Formula 1 Champion, Fernando Alonso as ‘a racing animal’, the documentary series looks at Sainz’s 1990 and 1992 World Rally championships in addition to the 26 rally wins, 97 podiums and 757 stage wins across an 18-year career in the World Rally Championship (WRC). How he has gone on to repeat that success in his new discipline – Dakar Rally – with wins in 2010, 2018 and 2020 when he also became the oldest driver to win a Dakar at 57 years of age.

But as well as the successes behind the wheel, Live to Complete also looks at his enduring contributions to vehicle development, which continues to this day in his work with Audi Sport on developing and refining the next generation of motorsport monsters and a whole new era of electrification in motorsport.

With telling interviews from co-drivers and competitors alike, the life and career of one of the true greats makes for compelling viewing and should not be missed by fans of motorsport.

Sainz: Live to Compete, available to watch for free only on Red Bull TV.