Carlos Sainz received an emotional farewell from Ferrari as he prepares to move to Williams for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The Spaniard has just spent four years alongside Charles Leclerc at the Italian outfit and will be replaced by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton next season.
Sainz did manage to win two races for Ferrari in his final season, including a heroic effort at the Australian Grand Prix just weeks on from appendicitis surgery.
But he will face a new challenge with Williams next year as he and Alex Albon attempt to bring the team back to the top for the first time in 20 years.
Lando Norris says Sainz will make Williams a top team and his track record suggests it could be the case after leading both McLaren and Ferrari on their way to the the front of the field over the last five years.
They won’t expect to be winning the Constructors’ Championship straight away, but there are plenty of long-term improvements to be had at the Grove-based outfit.
Carlos Sainz’s father spun Ferrari F1 car during farewell laps
Williams have won the lottery by signing Sainz according to ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner, with the race-winning experience and knowledge of car development incredibly valuable to a midfield team.
It’s not going to be a cakewalk though with new team boss James Vowles admitting that 2025 is going to be more about learning than chasing results. 2026 is the clean slate they are eyeing to take advantage of and make major gains.
Ferrari gave Sainz a final farewell by allowing him and his father to drive two 2022 SF-75 cars around their Fiorano test track this week.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz told the special ‘value’ he could bring to Williams that Franco Colapinto couldn’t
In a press release from Ferrari, they admitted that his father had an embarrassing moment when he spun, but soon recovered and started lapping well.
“Although he spun the car, Senior soon found his rhythm, completing several runs doing consistent lap times,” they said.
“At mid-morning, his son also went out on track, reacquainting himself with the car with which he took his maiden Formula 1 win at the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.”
Is Lewis Hamilton a better choice for Ferrari than Carlos Sainz?
Ferrari are in a bit of a ‘win now’ mindset as they finally have a car which is capable of competing throughout the championship at a variety of circuits.
In the past, they have struggled with development as the season progresses, but they may have got over that humo after taking the Constructors’ title down to the wire at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this year.
They were a little further back in the hunt for the Drivers’ crown, but the signing of Mercedes’ star drivers should help them in that department. Even Helmut Marko called Hamilton world-class still and he has proven for nearly 20 years that he knows how to win and push his rivals to the edge.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko shares whether struggling Lewis Hamilton is an upgrade on Carlos Sainz at Ferrari
It’s going to take some time for that partnership to gel and it relies on them finding a range that suits the Brit’s style, but if they find any success they could take off.
It’s that sort of potential which highlights why Hamilton signed Ferrari and is probably why they believe they have a better chance to win with him than Sainz.
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