Carlos Sainz could not betray his love for Real Madrid as he snubbed a fan's request to sign a shirt of bitter Spanish rivals Barcelona.
Sainz has an army of fans thanks to his day job, driving one of the famous red Ferrari F1 cars on race weekends. But he was driving in his personal vehicle when mobbed by a group of excited supporters this week.
The racer rolled down the window of his black SUV to say hello to the well-wishers. But in an exchange caught on camera, he became suddenly much less accommodating when approached by one hopeful fan holding the Barcelona top.
The shirt, which had the name of Lionel Messi and the number 10 on the back from when the Argentine wizard played for Los Cules, was presented to Sainz along with a pen for him to sign. But as soon as the Ferrari star noticed the colours, he was quick to deny the request.
"No, I'm not signing this," he said in his native Spanish tongue, sparking some laughter from other fans. The supporter holding the shirt responded by shouting: "Forca Barca," while the F1 racer drove away.
Sainz is a devoted Real Madrid fan, having been born in the city. The 27-year-old's father, also named Carlos, was made an honorary member by Los Blancos in recognition of his incredibly rallying career.
And the younger of the duo has made little attempt to hide his support for Real Madrid. In the past, he has been photographed on many occasions wearing team apparel and has also appeared in numerous videos on the club's social media channels.
Sainz is F1's newest race winner, having tasted victory for the first time in the sport at the British Grand Prix earlier this month. The Ferrari racer is fourth in the standings on 144 points, and well on his way to his best-ever F1 points return.
But he is in danger of falling out of contention for the title this season, 89 points behind leader Max Verstappen. He is also 26 points adrift of team-mate Charles Leclerc, with Ferrari under pressure to pick a driver to prioritise for the rest of the campaign.
