Pedro De La Rosa hails £180k-a-week driver’s ‘very brave’ display in Bahrain

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Former Formula 1 driver Pedro De La Rosa has admitted he was really impressed with Carlos Sainz in Bahrain.

The 29-year-old finished on the podium alongside the two Red Bulls and, more importantly, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

Speaking to Spanish outlet Cadena SAR, De La Rosa was quick to praise his fellow countryman.

De La Rosa hails ‘very brave’ Sainz in Bahrain

If there was any driver on the grid who had something to prove last weekend, it was Carlos Sainz.

With plenty of driver changes expected for the 2025 season, the Spaniard is the only man on the grid who knows he’s lost his place at his current team.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will arrive in Maranello next year hoping to break Michael Schumacher’s record with a new team after more than a decade with Mercedes.

He will partner Charles Leclerc who signed a new contract with Ferrari in the winter, securing Frederic Vasseur’s driver line-up for the foreseeable future.

Carlos Sainz will be closely monitoring which teams might be looking for new drivers and De La Rosa thinks he did his hopes of earning a strong race seat no harm in Bahrain.

He was the only driver to challenge the Red Bulls and while he couldn’t catch Sergio Perez despite being on softer tyres, he opened up a significant gap over Leclerc and the rest of the grid.

Carlos Sainz driving for his Formula 1 future

Discussing Saturday’s race, De La Rosa said: “The Red Bulls have, they showed that they have done their homework very well.

“On the other hand, I really liked [Carlos] Sainz and I think he had a very brave race.

“The dominance, not of Red Bull, but of Max Verstappen. Pérez was holding off Sainz, especially at the end of the race, and he had a nice fight.”

The £180k-a-week driver has already been linked with several teams for next season.

He’s said to be ‘gunning’ for Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes although Damon Hill isn’t sure about that move.

David Coulthard has suggested that the ‘safe money’ is on Sainz joining Audi – currently Sauber – but he may want to aim further up the grid next year.

De La Rosa’s praise of Sainz in Bahrain will be shared by many fans watching at the weekend as he easily dispatched Leclerc and George Russell.

If he can repeat that feat in Saudi Arabia, then all of a sudden Ferrari may start to question the decision they made over the winter.