Mario Andretti was saddened to see Carlos Sainz not land a drive in a top F1 team in 2025 after being “sacrificed” by Ferrari to sign Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz knew before the start of the 2024 season that his career at Ferrari was coming to an end, after Lewis Hamilton activated a release clause in his contract with Mercedes and signed to be Charles Leclerc's teammate from 2025.
Sainz has been linked with teams like Red Bull and Mercedes, without materializing behind and eventually agreed to a multi-year contract with Williams where he will partner Alex Albon.
And while Andretti sees the benefits Hamilton will bring to Ferrari, the way things have gone for Sainz doesn't sit well with him. A way to woo him for his Cadillac team in 2026?
“It's great to see a driver like Lewis coming to Ferrari. I'm sure he will bring a lot of knowledge, after a career spent with British teams, and also a lot of interest from the fans in this new phase of his life,” declared the 1978 world champion, consultant to the new American team which will arrive in 2026.
“On the other hand, I have to say that I feel very sorry for Carlos, who has shown in recent years that he can fight at the highest level and is often on par with Charles Leclerc.”
“I think he was sacrificed a bit and I'm sorry he didn't find a top team for his future in Formula 1.”
Can Sainz interest a team like Cadillac F1?
“Of course, like Max Verstappen or all the other big names! But before we think about that, let's launch our project and show that we can attract them. Or attract the future big names who will break out in F1.”
Leclerc has expressed his desire to test himself alongside Formula 1's most successful driver within the same team, and Andretti agrees that the experience will benefit the Ferrari star, who has been racing with the team since 2019.
“Everyone experiences things differently and we would need to know all the details of the agreement to know Charles' position. What is certain is that it will be a big boost for him next year to have a champion like Lewis at his side.”
