Carlos Sainz makes a confession about his McLaren exit after they became F1’s dominant team

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Carlos Sainz has seen his former team McLaren become a dominant force in Formula 1. After narrowly beating Sainz and Ferrari to last year’s constructors’ title, they’re romping to glory in 2025.

McLaren could yet become the first Formula 1 team ever to score 1,000 points in a season. They are 337 points clear of Ferrari at the top of the standings, having won 12 out of 16 Grands Prix and scored 27 podiums from a possible 32.

Sainz joined the Woking outfit in 2019 after one full season with Renault. Alongside rookie Lando Norris, he helped them finish fourth in the standings – their best showing since the Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button era.

The Spaniard’s podium in Brazil that year was McLaren’s first for well over five years. And he added another at the 2020 Italian GP as they gained another spot in the constructors’ standings.

Carlos Sainz says he may be fighting for an F1 title if he’d stayed at McLaren

Despite McLaren’s upward trajectory, Sainz accepted an offer from Ferrari before the delayed 2020 season had begun. He was the chosen replacement for Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari and McLaren were on a similar level at first, but in 2022, the Scuderia furnished Sainz with the tools to win his first race. Another victory followed at the 2023 Singapore GP.

Norris had to wait until last year’s Miami GP to join the winners’ circle, but since then, McLaren have been the fastest team in F1. Sainz never competed for a championship at Ferrari, but he might have been battling Norris for the 2025 crown had he stayed at McLaren.

Instead, he’s on course for a career-worst 18th in the championship after losing his seat to Lewis Hamilton and dropping into the midfield with Williams.

“I think about it and I confess that, if I had stayed, we might be fighting for a world championship right now, but it’s very difficult to predict,” Sainz told DAZN.

But he doesn’t have any regrets: “I think any driver in my position would get a call from Ferrari during the McLaren era, which isn’t the current era, and you have to go to Ferrari. You can’t say no.”

Carlos Sainz’s paddock activity suggests a Ferrari return is possible

Sainz’s Williams team are powered by Mercedes, just like McLaren. He chose to join partly because of his confidence in the German manufacturer’s 2026 engine project.

Williams are targeting race wins in 2027, which could put Sainz in the position to compete with two of his former teams. Their excellent season suggests that they’re on the right path under James Vowles.

Indeed, though he hasn’t outwardly seen the benefits, Jacques Villenueve says Sainz always makes his teams better. He helped to lay the foundations for McLaren’s rise.

According to one paddock regular, Sainz is occasionally seen in the Ferrari hospitality, which proves that he still enjoys a strong relationship with the Scuderia. If it doesn’t work out at Williams, it’s possible he returns to Maranello one day.