Carlos Sainz is set to depart Ferrari after four seasons with the team to join Williams ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Lando Norris thinks Sainz will make Williams a top team with his experience over the next few years, having raced for two of the best outfits in the sport recently.
Ferrari fell short of winning the Constructors’ Championship by 14 points to McLaren in 2024 but the Spaniard made very few errors.
Sainz might have preferred a move to Red Bull or Mercedes to remain at the front of the field but he does join a Williams project which is headed in an encouraging direction.
They aren’t going to be challenging for victories any time soon, but the combination of their new four-time race-winning driver and Alex Albon brings a terrific blend.
Guenther Steiner believes that Williams have won the lottery by signing Sainz – a man who won two races in 2024 despite undergoing gruelling appendicitis surgery.
Fans delighted with Ferrari’s F1-inspired farewell to Carlos Sainz
As a thank you to Sainz, the Scuderia allowed Carlos Sainz Sr to drive his son’s Ferrari F1 car with him around their Fiorano test track.
The team were thanked by fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) for giving him a goodbye: “Thank god they did a better farewell than Seb [Vettel], [Fernando] Alonso and Kimi [Raikkonen],” wrote one person.
“Ferrari knows how to say goodbye in style, and SMOOTHLY,” said another fan.
READ MORE: Flavio Briatore explains why it made ‘no sense’ for Alpine to try and sign Carlos Sainz this season
“Beautiful way to say goodbye to the amazing person and driver that is Carlos,” wrote someone else.
Another person said: “So cool of Ferrari to do this,” and another agreed with the sentiment by saying: “What a beautiful send-off!”
And finally, Sainz Sr received compliments for his efforts: “Sainz’s dad is so cool. He can also drive an F1 car. That’s a World Champion.”
Could Carlos Sainz return to Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton retires?
At the age of 39, Lewis Hamilton will not be able to serve as a long-term replacement for Sainz at Ferrari. He’s there for them to take advantage of a small window of opportunity while they have a winning car.
It has sparked rumours that the Spaniard might return to the team in a few years, but that would be discrediting any efforts of Williams. They could make a march towards the front.
Sainz thinks he’s stronger than Hamilton and won’t have taken to being replaced by him too kindly. There may have been too many bridges burned to mention a return to the team one day.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz told the special ‘value’ he could bring to Williams that Franco Colapinto couldn’t
New boss James Vowles has invested heavily in infrastructure and has set Williams on a path towards success – something which Sainz is in a prime position to take advantage of.
He has experience in helping to turn teams around and was part of both McLaren and Ferrari’s march from the midfield to be the two fastest teams in Formula 1 currently.
What’s not to say that he cannot replicate that sort of success again with the extra experience and learning he has gained over the last few years?
