Carlos Sainz could easily have turned his Ferrari exit into a bitter affair. He was on the wrong end of the one of the most ruthless driver calls in F1 history.
In 2023, Sainz was the only driver outside Red Bull to win a Grand Prix. And he finished just six points behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
But with his contract up for renewal, Ferrari informed him that he wouldn’t receive a new deal. They’d been negotiating with Lewis Hamilton and jumped at the chance to sign the seven-time world champion.
Ferrari would compete for the title in 2024, finishing just 14 points behind McLaren. But now Sainz will join a team who finished second from bottom in the constructors’ table.
Had he signed an extension with the Scuderia, he could have legitimate ambitions of winning the 2025 title. Instead, he may struggle to score consistent points at Williams.
And yet, there was still a warmth to his December farewell. Sainz could return to Ferrari one day, and perhaps he’s trying to protect that relationship.
Carlos Sainz Sr thankful to Ferrari for ‘unbelievable’ chance to share track with son
Sainz completed his first Williams test in Abu Dhabi just a day after the season-ending Grand Prix. But Ferrari still invited him to Fiorano, along with his father, for a parting gift.
They allowed the rally driver to get behind the wheel of one of their F1 cars. And better still, he was able to take to the track at the same time as his son.
Speaking to talkSPORT in Dakar, Sainz Sr credited Fred Vasseur for his ‘unbelievable’ generosity. And that’s not the only present his son has received.
Damon Hill was in awe as Ferrari gave Sainz an F1-75 car to keep as his own. The Spaniard won his first-ever F1 race, the 2022 British GP, in that model.
“For me, it was a big thing,” Sainz Sr said. “I really enjoyed it a lot, the power, the handling, the braking is amazing. To have the chance to be there in a farewell to my son, what Ferrari did to him, to invite me to drive together with him was really fantastic.
“It was an unbelievable day I will never forget. We really had good fun, and the experience to drive a modern Formula 1 car was unbelievable.”
Carlos Sainz Sr hostile towards Kimi Antonelli after his son lost out on Mercedes seat
While Sainz Sr has been publicly respectful, he has expressed his frustration behind the scenes. He’ll feel his son deserves better.
Red Bull turned down the chance to sign the 30-year-old, reluctant to reunite him with old Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen. There was tension between Sainz Sr and Jos Verstappen back then, and Christian Horner feared a repeat.
Mercedes, meanwhile, opted to replace Hamilton with untried teenager Kimi Antonelli. According to his friend Marc Surer, Sainz Sr thinks hiring Antonelli is ‘not logical’.
He was also seething at the reaction to the Italian’s heavy crash on debut at Monza in August. Sainz Sr couldn’t believe Antonelli had a ‘cart blanche’ to ‘destroy’ the car, and if the youngster struggles next year, he may feel vindicated.
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