For a few years now, the new generation of drivers who have landed in Formula 1 have openly recognized that they are big fans of video games, and it is not uncommon to see some like Lando Norris or Max Verstappen performing live on their Twitch channels.
Another who also spends hours with a controller in his hand when he doesn’t have a steering wheel is Carlos Sainz . Recently, the man from Madrid announced that he would become a collaborator with EA Sports, a video game company that took control of the official Formula 1 game developed by Codemasters .
The man from Ferrari is also a great fan of other sports, and football is one of his passions. Since childhood, his heart has been with Real Madrid , even his father, the two-time world rally champion, appeared together with Juan Miguel Villar-Mir in the 2006 elections that Ramón Calderón won.
In his latest adventure, the 27-year-old pilot enjoyed a day of fun with one of the current pillars of the Madrid team, Thibaut Courtois , the starting goalkeeper.
“Hello everyone, we are in Valdebebas, entering the door to greet my friend Courtois, who has a surprise for him and I think he will like it a lot,” Sainz said in the video that EA published on its social networks.
The two protagonists met at the Real Madrid Sports City , and they merged into a loving embrace. After this, the Spaniard presented him with the gift he had prepared, a simulator prepared to challenge the goalkeeper.
At the Saudi Arabian circuit, Sainz explained the lines to the Belgian, who was just over a second off the time set by Ferrari, which demonstrates Courtois’ capabilities when he puts on other types of gloves.
“You’re up against a Formula 1 driver,” the man from Madrid said with a laugh. “But you’ve been good, you’ve been fast.”
This could not be the case for someone as competitive as the white team’s goalkeeper, and he took revenge with a FIFA match, another of EA Sports’ best-known sagas. On the grass of the virtual Santiago Bernabéu , Sainz took the lead in the light, but fifteen minutes from the end, the madridista showed off his skills and came back for a 1-2 final.
The challenge ended in a tie, although surely the two athletes spent a great day sharing their two passions, Formula 1 and football.
