Carlos Sainz is entering the final three races of his time with Ferrari before moving on to pastures new but could walk away from a team with a rare piece of silverware.
Ferrari have the opportunity to win their first Constructors’ Championship since 2008.
McLaren are the team that stand in their path, but both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc enter the final triple-header in brilliant form.
Sainz delivered what may potentially be his final victory for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Spaniard dominated qualifying before pulling away from the pack and showing Lando Norris how to overtake Max Verstappen heading down to the first corner.
Leclerc has matched Norris and Verstappen’s points tally over the past five races, highlighting just how quick Ferrari are right now.
Unfortunately for Sainz, he won’t be able to benefit from the developments he’s helped perfect during his time with the Scuderia.
Ferrari will be replacing Sainz with Lewis Hamilton which the Spaniard found out before the campaign started, leaving him searching for another seat on the grid.
Williams have signed Sainz, but speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, former F1 driver David Coulthard is already looking into the 30-year-old’s future.
He believes that a dramatic return to the £3.1bn-rated Ferrari team isn’t off the cards for the four-time race winner.
David Coulthard could see Carlos Sainz returning to Ferrari after Williams switch
Talking about Sainz and the Constructors’ Championship battle with McLaren and Red Bull, Coulthard said: “I guess all eyes are going to be on Checo Perez because McLaren, both their drivers, are serving up performance at Ferrari.
“You already see that Carlos is having a brilliant end to his first stint at Ferrari because I’m not convinced he won’t be back there at some point in the future.
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“And it’s really Red Bull where it’s only Max doing the lion’s share of the scoring.
“So again, a lot of talk and rumour about Checo is, in your opinion, just the financial benefits that he brings to the team because he’s not bringing the points right now. He’s a great guy, we all want him to do well, but you’ve got to show the stopwatch that you’ve still got the speed.”
Carlos Sainz will leave Ferrari having enhanced his reputation in the F1 paddock
Once Sainz was on the market, at least half of the teams in F1 showed an interest in signing him.
It’s a credit to Williams and team principal James Vowles that they managed to convince a multiple-race winner to join the 9th-fastest team on the grid.
| Season | Wins | Poles | Fastest Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 164.5 | 5th |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 246 | 5th |
| 2023 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 200 | 7th |
| 2024* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 244 | 5th* |
Ferrari have taken several steps forward over the past two seasons, with only a tricky update at the Spanish Grand Prix halting their progress.
Peter Windsor has described Sainz’s Williams test as the ‘saddest bit of news’, highlighting the feeling around the sport that he’s dropping down to a team below his current expectations.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Unfortunately, that’s how F1 goes sometimes, with 10-time race winner Valtteri Bottas unable to find a seat for 2025 highlighting that nothing is guaranteed.
Sainz has enhanced his reputation during his time with Ferrari and defeating new teammate Alex Albon in a head-to-head battle will only improve things further.
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