Carlos Sainz does not rule out a return to Ferrari

Carlos Sainz will leave Ferrari for Williams at the end of the 2024 season. If he had not planned a hasty departure from the team, Lewis Hamilton would replace him in the stable. Until now, the driver had remained silent about his situation. Now, he acknowledges that he could consider a return with the red horse team in the future.

A transfer that Carlos Sainz did not wish for.

For the Spaniard, it is the beginning of a new era that starts with Williams. After four years at Ferrari, he will become in 2025 the teammate of Alexander Albon. Even if the team has encountered some problems this season, Carlos Sainz leaves with a smile and a few Grand Prix victories. “I leave with good results and a good relationship with Fred [Vasseur] and Charles. We were a good team, we won races and achieved podiums together,” he declared to DAZN Spain.

Carlos Sainz has always gotten along well with the team. Whether with the engineers or the Tifosi, he has always felt at home. But now, someone else is going to take his place in the family. Everyone was surprised to learn of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari in February, an option that had never been ruled out by the seven-time world champion. With two Grand Prix wins shortly before the announcement, the Spanish driver was not expected to leave the team. His imminent departure has nothing to do with his performance, as he announced, but the arrival of the British driver has forced him to give up his seat.

He had never considered leaving the team after arriving in 2021, especially after integrating so well at Ferrari. But the fact is that the seven-time world champion wanted to finish his career in this team. “This is perhaps the most difficult part to explain, because from my point of view, nothing went wrong,” he said. “The fact is that Lewis Hamilton has decided to spend the last part of his F1 career at Ferrari. Seen from this perspective, I was somewhat the victim of this decision,” he added. With a contract for several years, Lewis Hamilton should stay at least until 2026, which does not prevent the Spaniard from considering a future with the team.

Member of the team, even after the end

The history of Formula 1 has already seen comebacks at Ferrari. More recently, the case of Kimi Räikkönen, who, after leaving the team at the end of the 2009 season, returned almost five years later in 2014. Coming back to Ferrari seems to be an idea that has also crossed Carlos Sainz’s mind. “One can never definitively close the door on a team like Ferrari, especially when considering that I still have five or ten years ahead of me in my career,” he acknowledges in his interview with DAZN.

Compared to his successful career at Ferrari, the driver could have a completely different future at Williams. The team, which is currently ninth in the constructors’ standings, struggles to score points. Thanks to Alex Albon, it is ahead of Sauber, but is only four points away from last place. For a driver who has won several Grand Prix races in two seasons, victories and podiums may be out of reach for the moment. However, Williams is not at the center of Carlos Sainz’s concerns.

For the moment, the future ex-Ferrari driver prefers to focus on the Italian team. If he could leave on a negative note, he made the choice to make the most of the last moments. “I really appreciate my four years at Ferrari and my three victories in red. That’s why I want to enjoy the last races and not think about anything else,” read the statement. “You never know what can happen in life. Having been a Ferrari driver and still being one for a few races is something that I greatly appreciate, and I want to make the most of it.” It remains to be seen whether Carlos Sainz will one day follow in the footsteps of other drivers and return to the red team.