Carlos Sainz came so close to ending his time with Ferrari in the perfect way at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ferrari faced an uphill battle to win the Constructors’ Championship ahead of McLaren at the final race of the season.
They knew they needed to overturn a 21-point deficit during the final race and qualifying didn’t go to plan.
Charles Leclerc already knew he had a 10-place grid penalty and a deleted lap in Q2 meant he was going to start on the back row of the grid.
Carlos Sainz finished third, but behind a McLaren front-row lockout which dampened spirits within the Ferrari garage.
Leclerc admitted Ferrari needed a ‘miracle’ and they nearly achieved it.
Max Verstappen apologised to Oscar Piastri after the race when to took him out going into the opening corner.
Sainz ran second behind Lando Norris for the entirety of the race after that incident but no matter how much pressure he put his old teammate under, he didn’t crumble, and while Leclerc stormed through the pack to go from 19th to third, it was all in vain.
After four seasons, Sainz’s time with Ferrari has come to an end and he takes part in his first test with new team Williams on Monday in Abu Dhabi.
Martin Brundle was reflecting on Sainz’s time with the team on Sky Sports F1 (8/12 2:52pm) and shared why he had so much admiration for the Spaniard.
Martin Brundle shares why Carlos Sainz is a ‘class act’ after Ferrari exit
Commentating on the final podium of the 2024 season where Sainz was stood with Leclerc and Norris, Brundle said: “What a class act Carlos Sainz is.
“He’s lost his job at Ferrari, but he’s like, I will help make Williams strong again.
“He’s got a such a good attitude.”
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His co-commentator David Croft concurred and added: “He certainly has.”
Saying goodbye to Sainz to bring in seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton makes sense on paper.
The 39-year-old has the pedigree to win at least another championship in the right car and brings a host of other benefits with him too.
However, Sainz has proven to be one of the sport’s best drivers and will want to prove to Ferrari that they may have made a mistake.
How does Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari career compare to Charles Leclerc?
At the start of 2024, Ferrari had a choice over which driver to let go when they became away that Hamilton was available.
They decided to stick with Leclerc who had come through their academy and proven to be one of the sport’s fastest drivers over one lap.
Sainz and Leclerc haven’t always seen eye to eye but they do have a very strong relationship away from the track.
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When it comes to comparing their performances over the past four years for Ferrari, you can see why they stuck by Leclerc.
| Name | Poles | Podiums | Wins | Points | Best Finish |
| Charles Leclerc | 19 | 31 | 6 | 1029 | 2nd |
| Carlos Sainz | 6 | 25 | 4 | 900.5 | 5th |
It’s hard to see the pair racing very often next season when Sainz is embedded at Williams.
He’s going from the team who narrowly missed out on winning the championship to a team who ended up being fortunate not to finish bottom of the table in 2024.
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