Mario Andretti was saddened to see Carlos Sainz not landing a front-running F1 2025 drive after being “sacrificed” by Ferrari to sign Lewis Hamilton.

Sainz knew before the F1 2024 campaign began that his Ferrari career was coming to an end, after Lewis Hamilton activated a release clause in his Mercedes contract and signed to be Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate from F1 2025.

Mario Andretti wanted to see Carlos Sainz in leading seat

Sainz was linked with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes in a straight swap for Hamilton, but ultimately, he agreed a multi-year deal with Williams where he will partner Alex Albon.

And while Andretti sees the benefits that Hamilton will bring to Ferrari, the way things have worked out for Sainz does not sit well.

“It’s great to see a driver like Hamilton coming to Ferrari. I am sure he will bring a lot of knowledge, after a whole career spent working with British teams, and also a lot of interest from the fans for this new phase in his life,” 1978 World Champion Andretti told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“On the other hand, however, I have to say that I feel very sorry for Carlos Sainz, who in recent years has shown that he can fight at the highest level and is often on a par with Charles Leclerc.

“I think he has been a bit sacrificed and I am sorry that he has not found a top team for his future in Formula 1.”

Leclerc has put on record his eagerness to test himself alongside Formula 1’s most successful driver Hamilton in the same team, and Andretti agrees that the experience will benefit Ferrari’s homegrown star, who has raced with the team since 2019.

Asked if he would be happy about Hamilton joining Ferrari if he were in Leclerc’s shoes, Andretti replied: “Everyone experiences things differently and you would need to know all the details of the agreement to know Leclerc’s position.

“What is certain is that it will be a big boost for Charles next year to have a champion like Hamilton by his side.”

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Sainz – when addressing the decisions of Red Bull and Mercedes to overlook him – admitted that it was a painful rejection.

As it stands, Sergio Perez is contracted to remain as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate in F1 2025, while Mercedes replaced Hamilton with their teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli who will step up from Formula 2 to partner George Russell.

“I’ve definitely come to peace, and I am a true believer that if I’m not going there, it’s because life just doesn’t want me to be there – there’s something else coming after that, that will actually turn out to be good,” Sainz told Sky F1.

“It hurt at the time, we all have egos, and I have a driver ego, and I couldn’t understand it at the time.

“I still personally cannot understand certain choices that people have done, but at the same time, it creates even more of a challenge in me, and it even makes me more excited for Williams.

“Williams is the one that has invested in me, that have backed me up from the beginning, the ones that came to me a full year ago, and that actually makes me super excited.

“I said, ‘I want to give to these guys what they’ve given to me. Give back to them this trust and this belief in me’.

“I cannot wait to go there and, together with them, build something good.”

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