Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari farewell was a suitable send-off under the lights, for a man that has helped the team to rebuild so well over the past few years.
With teammate Charles Leclerc fighting through the pack after a 10-place grid penalty, he had to dig deep and deliver a great performance during a championship battle at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The only problem he faced, was that McLaren and Lando Norris were a little bit too quick for him to catch, and had him on a piece of string.
Now Sainz moves to Williams, where he may be waving goodbye to the window of opportunity for him to win any titles for a while now.
Lando Norris’ margin was a ‘telling moment’ in Carlos Sainz’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
All Ferrari could ask of Sainz in the Middle East was that he was there to pounce on any opportunity sent his way by McLaren – whether that was from a mechanical retirement or human error.
He continued to apply pressure, but Norris remained totally calm and delivered a performance which preceded his age to claim victory.
Formula 1 journalist Peter Windsor believes that Sainz’s pace fell off during the race as a result of suspected debris that he may have picked up – damaging his chances.
“Then, when the traffic came later in the race, and it looked as if Carlos maybe went over a bit of debris. Particularly sector three where there are lots of corners – slow, medium-speed corners.
“He started to lose three/four tenths per lap, just on that sector. He got it back again towards the end of the race when Lando was driving with margin. That was a telling moment of the race I think.”
How long will Sainz have to wait for glory at Williams?
Moving to Williams is a dent to Sainz’s aspirations of becoming a Formula 1 champion, and at the age of 30 – he may be about to spend his best days in the midfield.
Sainz believes he is stronger than Lewis Hamilton – the man who replaces him at Ferrari, which shows why mentally, he is still in great shape.
That sort of mentality should aid him next year, as he works with a car which will probably be on the fringe of scoring points at most races.
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It feels like a bit of a waste of talent, but Sainz doesn’t feel Williams is a step down – suggesting that he has a strong belief in the direction of the team.
With their recent improvements and the work that James Vowles has put in behind the scenes, anything could be possible from 2026 and beyond.
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