Carlos Sainz is in the middle of a tumultuous couple of years, starting in the summer of 2024 when he learned that legendary, seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton ha decided to jump from Mercedes, where he had spent the last 11 years, to Ferrari.
That meant the 31-year-old Madrid native would lose his Ferrari seat.
Sainz eventually signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Williams F1 team. But all of this upheaval came as he was building his relationship with Rebecca Donaldson, who he had started dating in 2023.
According to some media reports, Sainz has been considering a marriage proposal to his 30-year old girlfriend this year. But the couple maintain a low public profile with their relationship, so whether the four-time first-place Grand Prix finisher has followed through or not is, at least for now, under wraps.
Who is Rebecca Donaldson? Here’s what you need to know about Sainz’ prospective fiancé.
She is a Scottish Model
Donaldson was born and raised in the historic central-Scotland town of Scone, a community important to Scottish history as the site of important events dating back more than 1,000 years. For centuries Scone Palace was the site where Scottish kings would be coronated, most famously King Macbeth, the real-life model for the character in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name.
Donaldson attended the equally historic Perth Academy school, which claims to be the “oldest school in Scotland,” but at age 17 her mother entered her in a modeling contest in Dundee, about 20 miles from Scone.
“My mum entered me and I was really surprised when I found out,” Donaldson said in 2022. “We had to go to rehearsal to practice catwalk-type dances before going in front of four judges at the Gardyne Theatre.”
Needless to say, the teenage Donaldson won the competition and her career was on the fast track.
She is Close Friends With Another F1 Driver’s Girlfriend
In 2023 when Sainz was still Ferrari teammates with Charles LeClerc, Donaldson developed a close friendship with French Instagram influencer Alexandra Saint-Mleux, the significant other of LeClerc.
The pair frequently post glowing comments on each other’s high-fashion IG posts, though Saint-Mleux’s following of 2.7 million far exceeds Donaldson’s, which stands at a respectable but not spectacular 631,000.
She is a Self-Made Millionaire
Donaldson made efficient use of her time during the 2020 COVID pandemic, taking the opportunity to launch MUSE Activewear, an “athleisure” fashion brand described as offering “affordable, high-quality gym wear designed for ‘ambitious, inspired women.’”
The clothing line has been successful enough to help make her a millionaire. Together with her modeling contracts, her fashion business has earned her a reported net worth of $1.5 million.
GettyRebecca Donaldson and Carlos Sainz.
She Calls Modeling ‘a Part-Time Thing’
From the start of her career, Donaldson chose to pursue other interests outside of posing for the camera.
“When models sign at a young age, they’re often thrown in at the deep end. Look at runways and the girls who are walking are super young. I had a different route,” she said in a recent interview. I chose to go to university. I studied for four years and have an honors degree in international fashion branding. Modeling was a part-time thing for me. I was actually more interested in the fashion side of things. I was a fashion stylist, which meant I got an understanding of the full concept of a shoot.”
She Previously Dated Leonardo DiCaprio (Reportedly)
Though Sainz and Donaldson keep their relationship as private as possible, it has been reported that the couple met in 2023 when Donaldson was the featured model in an ad campaign for the Ferrari Roma Spider sportscar — a vehicle that retails for approximately $275,000.
That shoot presumably occurred later in 2023, because in January of that year she was linked to Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio — star of Titanic, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Killers of the Flower Moon and numerous other high-profile films.
DiCaprio was 48 years old at the time. Donaldson with 27. Before DiCaprio, she briefly dated reality TV personality Scott Disick, who was previously in a serious relationship with the Kardashian sister Kourtney.
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