Carlos Sainz met Thea, the young fan who designed his 'lucky' Sparkles sticker in 2025.
Sainz and his team-mate Alex Albon responded to fan questions in a social media video posted on 13 September 2025. One young fan, Thea, asked the Spaniard if she should name her toy unicorn Sparkles or Sprinkles and if he would put a unicorn sticker on his helmet for the rest of the year, something he agreed to.
After celebrating a podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sainz decided to keep the sticker on his helmet until the end of the season. Williams also released a merchandise line featuring Sparkles the unicorn, with a portion of the proceeds going to Thea's family.
After taking a tour of the Williams headquarters in Grove, Thea had the opportunity to meet team principal James Vowles.
"We just wanted to thank you because it was a pleasure carrying your sticker, as you can see on the trophy," Vowles said. "And that trophy is something that for this team, when we scored it, we hadn't scored a podium for a long, long time.
"And it meant the absolute world to this organisation. There was happiness, there was tears, there was laughter and a little bit of you was carried with that as well, at the same time. So, it's just a thank you.
"And I also think well done because your video to Carlos was really, really good. And it's what made the difference."
Thea responded, "Oh, it's going to make me cry. I'm still happy though."
As she continued her tour of the factory, Thea met Sainz. "Finally, we get to meet," the Spanish driver said as Thea ran into his arms. The pair talked about how Thea became a fan of Formula 1 and Sainz while they ate cake to celebrate her seventh birthday, among other topics, before taking photos.
