Racing dynasties don’t come much more prestigious than Carlos Sainz Sr and his son, Carlos Sainz.

Carlos Sainz Sr is arguably one of the greatest multi-surface drivers of all time. A two-time WRC World Champion who also spent time with Ford driving the Ford Focus WRC, he is a four-time Dakar winner who is now driving the Ford Raptor T1+ as part of a 4-vehicle strong Ford factory team.

The latter is a global megastar of the Formula 1 circus, currently demonstrating his prodigious skill in the Atlassian Williams F1 team.

Last month in Zaragoza, Spain, at the final test of the Ford Raptor T1+ ahead of the 2025 Rallye du Maroc and 2026 Dakar Rally, Carlos Sainz Snr welcomed a very special guest as his son joined him in the passenger seat normally reserved for navigator Lucas Cruz.

It is fair to say it was an eye-opening experience for him! As the accompanying video shows, there are moments where the bond of father and son is pushed to the limits as the latter tries to get his head around what a top-level Dakar vehicle is capable of in the hands of one of the greatest drivers ever.

Keen to experience the Raptor himself, seats were swapped and Carlos Sainz took the steering wheel with his dad in the passenger seat offering direction and navigational assistance.

The resulting video is a heartwarming father and son story of motor racing royalty having fun away from the millions of viewers they normally compete in front of and clearly having the time of their lives.

Jay Ward is global Ford Racing communications director.