Carlos Sainz is about to compete in his last race with Ferrari at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier than stepping apart to make approach for Lewis Hamilton, who will be part of the staff for the 2025 season.
The announcement got here as a shock to Carlos Sainz, who realized in the course of the winter break that Ferrari had determined to half methods with him in favor of the seven-time World Champion. This sudden information fueled months of hypothesis about Carlos Sainz’s subsequent transfer and the place he would safe a seat for the upcoming season.
After receiving curiosity from not less than three System 1 groups, Carlos Sainz finally selected to hitch Williams for 2025. The choice adopted prolonged discussions with Williams staff principal James Vowles, who labored exhausting to persuade the Spaniard of the staff’s imaginative and prescient and potential.
Decided to show Ferrari mistaken, Carlos Sainz made it clear that he stays some of the gifted and sought-after drivers on the grid. His victory in Australia shortly after recovering from appendicitis demonstrated his resilience and ability, whereas one other dominant win in Mexico served as a becoming conclusion to his tenure with Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz’s 2023 System 1 marketing campaign included a outstanding triumph in Singapore, the place he grew to become the one driver to interrupt Crimson Bull’s dominance that season, ending their hopes of an ideal profitable streak. This achievement left many questioning Ferrari’s reasoning for changing such a succesful and aggressive driver.
Reflecting on the choice throughout an interview on the *Past the Grid* podcast, Carlos Sainz shared his ideas on Ferrari’s selection to herald Hamilton as an alternative of retaining him alongside Charles Leclerc.
Acknowledging Ferrari’s perspective, Carlos Sainz expressed that he now “100% understands” why the staff opted for the seven-time System 1 world champion. Regardless of being forward of Lewis Hamilton within the 2024 Drivers’ standings—by two locations and 51 factors—Sainz famous that the Mercedes automobile’s challenges all through the season performed a big function in Hamilton’s outcomes.
On the time of the announcement in February, the choice sparked widespread debate inside the paddock, with many questioning why Ferrari would let go of a confirmed performer. When requested if he has come to phrases with their reasoning, the Spanish driver supplied perception into his evolving understanding of the state of affairs: “100%. I understood it nearly proper from the start. I believe if it might have been another person, I’d have taken much more longer to know. However if you perceive Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion and among the best – if not one of the best in historical past – goes to interchange you as Ferrari. And Lewis has determined to do his final a part of his profession in Ferrari, and that it’s good to be one of many two drivers sacrificed for that to occur – I perceive.” – the Spanish driver identified.
“I additionally perceive why it was by no means going to be Charles. Charles has been the venture of Ferrari ever since he’s been a junior driver.” – the long run Williams driver added.
Carlos Sainz has confronted stiff competitors from teammate Charles Leclerc in each qualifying and race outcomes all through the 2024 season, persevering with a pattern that has been evident since their time collectively at Ferrari. Though Sainz has persistently stayed inside a tenth of a second behind Leclerc by way of tempo, Leclerc has held a transparent benefit in qualifying, profitable the intra-team battle by a margin of 13-9 throughout their first two years collectively and increasing that to 15-7 final season.
In 2024, the qualifying tally stands at 14-8 in favor of the Monegasque driver, that means he has out-qualified Sainz in each season they’ve shared a storage at Maranello. This consistency in qualifying efficiency has given Leclerc the higher hand by way of grid positions, offering him with a stronger basis for race outcomes.
On the monitor, Charles Leclerc has additionally managed to complete forward of Carlos Sainz in additional races this season, with the Monaco driver securing the higher outcome on 13 events in comparison with Carlos Sainz’s seven. Regardless of this, Sainz has proven his power by recording extra quickest laps than his teammate, 11 to Leclerc’s 10, highlighting his capability to extract sturdy single-lap tempo throughout races.
Nevertheless, in terms of victories, Charles Leclerc will end the season with extra wins, having claimed triumphs in Monaco, Monza, and Austin. Whereas the Spaniard has demonstrated resilience and consistency, Leclerc’s capability to transform pole positions and race efficiency into victories has given him the sting all through the System 1 season.
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