Carlos meets Sparkles - how the sweet interaction is the perfect example of Williams' genuine gratitude to their fans.

Carlos Sainz' switch from Ferrari to Williams had its pros and cons, but one thing was certain – he was not expecting to be celebrating anymore podiums. That is until Carlos met Sparkles.

In September the Williams team released a compilation of videos of Carlos with his teammate Alex Albon answering questions asked by fans. One of those lucky fans was Thea. A little girl holding a unicorn plushie had sent a video asking Carlos to name the unicorn either ‘sparkles or sprinkles’ and added a special request asking the Spanish driver if he can ‘wear a unicorn sticker on your helmet for the rest of the year’. Sainz immediately accepted the request as the drivers requested Thea to design a sticker and send it to the team.

Then came the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where fans were delighted to see Carlos keep his promise and race with a sticker on his helmet of Sprinkles. After a rollercoaster of results, the driver successfully scored the teams' highest qualifying lap of the season (P2) which then converted to Williams first podium since 2021. A hugely celebratory moment for the British team and while all credit is due to the driver and car, it was an adorable coincidence that the achievement was scored on the same weekend the driver wore the Sprinkles sticker on his helmet. The organic correlation became an internet sensation. Sainz even went as far as designing a Sparkles helmet for the final race of the season.

That was not the end of the story, as the young fan was recently invited to the Grove to meet Carlos Sainz. The sweet interaction captured Thea’s pure excitement at meeting Sainz in person where she is filmed running into the arms of driver who hugged and picked her up exclaiming ‘finally we get to meet’. She had also introduced the ‘original’ Sparkles to the driver. Sainz sweetly thanked Thea saying ‘you see how much luck you given me last year with your sparkles’.

The moment has immediately captured the heart of fans with the video already accumulating 1.4 million viewers on Instagram in just four hours. It perfectly captures the team’s gratitude to fans for supporting the team and drivers through their struggles and achievements. The full video of the viral interaction can be found here where Thea even gifts Carlos a new lucky charm for the new season.

The team has also released a new platform for fans called ‘WClub’ where fans can ‘get rewarded for your fandom’. The platform allows fans to customise a personalised ID, take part in quizzes and challenges which will accumulate points unlocking potential exclusive access. The team have increased their marketing strategies since James Vowles has taken over and have been winning fans over with their approach appealing to both veteran fans and the new generation. The interaction with Thea is reminder to the Williams community that the team genuinely cherish their fandom. That genuinity equating to a true 'family-like' community reflecting the teams rich history of being a family business. The team may no longer be run by a Williams family member, but Vowels has ensured that their values stay.