Mark Martin drops a 2-word verdict on former Ferrari F1 star’s message to his new team

NASCAR legend Mark Martin backed Carlos Sainz after the F1 star's bold message to his new team, Williams. The former Ferrari driver had asserted his driving skills over team radio during FP1 in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Driving the FW47, Sainz has endured a slow start to his debut season with Williams, with his teammate Alex Albon consistently outpacing him. However, the Spaniard showed promise during his last bout at the Bahrain GP, where he entered Q3 for the first time this season.

Nonetheless, Sainz has been vocal about his struggles adapting to the car's balance issues in the medium and slow-speed corners.The Jeddah Corniche circuit may give him some respite in that regard, as the track features prominent high-speed sections.

Consequently, the 30-year-old worked on his pace during Friday's FP1 session, when he pushed back against team instructions over the radio.

"Let me do what I want, please. Ok, I know what i'm doing," Sainz said.

Reacting to the radio excerpt in an X post, Mark Martin dropped a firm two-word response.

"That's right👊," he said.

Mark Martin retired from Cup Series racing in 2013 and was inducted in the NASCAR hall of fame five years later. As such, the 66 year old maintains an active presence in social media sharing insights from his racing career, along with his views on current events in motorsports.

Carlos Sainz finished the session at P7, two spots below his teammate. He saw further improvement in the second practice session, finishing P5 behind his former Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc.

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Mark Martin shares a straightforward response to Katherine Legge's update

Mark Martin recently shared his take on Katherine Legge's upcoming races, stating that Rockingham will likely be her biggest challenge. Earlier this year, Legge suffered a disappointing NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix Raceway. She spun twice in the race before ultimately retiring with 102 laps remaining.

Despite the result, the 44-year-old remained optimistic about continuing her efforts in the sport. That said, Fox Motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass shared Legge's expanded schedule for 2025, featuring seven Xfinity Series races for Jordan Anderson Racing and five Cup events for Live Fast Motorsports.

"Katherine Legge will do upcoming Cup races at Mexico, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Richmond for Live Fast Racing... and Xfinity races at Rockingham, Talladega, Texas, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta and Indy with Jordan Anderson Racing," Pockrass penned via X.

Mark Martin reacted to the announcement, declaring NASCAR's long awaited return to Rockingham speedway as her biggest hurdle.

"I think @Rockingham1965 will be the biggest challenge for @katherinelegge of all these. I can’t wait to see the @NASCAR_Trucks and @NASCAR_Xfinity back at the Rock," he said.

Katherine Legge finished 30th in her debut stint in Phoenix in a 37-car field. Notably, she qualified last but gained several spots from a chaotic race that saw ten retirements.