Second in Abu Dhabi for his last Grand Prix with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz closed the chapter of his career in red and will give way to Lewis Hamilton for next season. The Spanish driver will now devote himself to his new adventure at Williams F1, with whom he is on track from this Monday.
Sainz is likely to have a much tougher season next year, with Williams clearly not on Ferrari’s level at the moment. Is it unfair to see a driver of his caliber forced to join a team playing in the second half of the table?
The question was asked of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc this Sunday, the two drivers with whom Sainz shared the podium. And according to his now ex-teammates, the Spanish driver will do a lot of good for his new team and it is only a matter of time before he moves to the top of the grid in Formula 1 again.
“Carlos is someone I know well,” said the McLaren F1 driver. “I started racing in Formula 1 with him. I always knew he would be there and that he would fight well this weekend. In all my meetings with my team, I told the guys to watch out for Carlos. Because I was ready for him to attack a lot and fight well. Williams has improved a lot. high level Carlos will certainly add value and propel. the team forward The team has seen many changes over the last few months and the past year, Williams has been very fast at times. I’m sure next year Williams will take a big step forward from where he is now.”
“Maybe as early as 2026, a year where anything can happen. Williams can be at the top all of a sudden. We’ll see. But it’s a shame because I think he has proven himself enough in Formula 1 to deserves a good place. He deserves to fight for championships, victories and that kind of thing, and it’s a shame to lose this opportunity. But it’s not because he doesn’t have talent or that. ‘he doesn’t have the abilities, right? It’s because it’s the biggest name in Formula 1 who wants his place. And yes, we will see in the future what to do. We will see how Lewis. performs at Ferrari with Charles and against Charles But Carlos has proven himself enough so I don’t think anyone should doubt him and I’m sure his time will come again and he will help Williams fight back. summit.”
Leclerc hails Sainz’s role in Ferrari’s progress
And on the side of Charles Leclerc, for whom the relationship with Sainz has not always been as simple as it seems over the last four seasons, we especially want to remember all the positives that the Spaniard has brought to Ferrari, but also to himself as a pilot.
“I completely agree with Lando. I think we are probably the two best people to talk about this, because we have shared the same team as Carlos for many years. And I can tell you that Carlos is incredibly talented. He’s helped me improve in many areas, with his work ethic, his discipline, his talent, everything that he brings. And I think that’s what we’ve done. such a step forward in one year and in these four years, it’s thanks to Carlos He was extremely fast.”
“And in Formula 1, as Lando said, there are things for which you don’t really have an explanation. There is also the chance of being in the right place at the right time and Carlos really deserves to ‘Being in a top team But I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he comes back and joins us to fight for victories. He will bring a lot to Williams, because he is very sensitive. with every little change and every little sensation that he is in the car I’m pretty sure that from testing they will have a lot of valuable information that will help them for next year.”
“But yeah, I’m definitely going to miss fighting Carlos. We had our moments on the track, but that’s only because we were fighting so close to each other and because he gave me pushed to the end. And it was an absolute pleasure And of course, in some moments, in the present moment, there is frustration, and in fact already now, I think back to those moments. with a lot of positive memories And I won’t be the pilot. I am today if he hadn’t been my teammate for the last four years. So yes, it was a great pleasure and four years that I will remember in the most positive way possible. better. But like I said, I have no doubt that he will return to the top of the grid, whether with Williams through his contribution or with someone else. I think he deserves it. everyone knows it and it’s just a matter of. time before he comes back.”
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, ended his working relationship with Sainz by responding to the latest rumors that the two had parted ways acrimoniously.
Earlier in Abu Dhabi, Leclerc had declared that he would not Sainz “wouldn’t miss him”.
“I’ve seen a lot of fake news over the past few days. My words weren’t put in the right context.”
“When I said I wouldn’t miss Carlos, I only did it because he will be just 20 meters away at Williams. I had an incredibly good relationship with Carlos, he is such a good person, and We have a very good relationship.”
“It’s normal that we had some friction on track, but all these things ultimately strengthened our good relationship and brought us closer together.
“We also have a lot in common off the track and even though he won’t be racing in red next year, I’m sure we’ll continue to spend time together and travel to races together.”
