Carlos Sainz will be relieved as one of his greatest fears about leaving Ferrari hasn’t come true

Follow us on Google Discover

Carlos Sainz’s exit from Ferrari came as a complete shock to the Formula 1 world, mainly because his replacement was confirmed to be Lewis Hamilton.

The news was confirmed before the 2024 season started. Sainz was coming off winning the only race not won by Red Bull in 2023 in Singapore and was slowly building Ferrari back into a championship contender.

Suddenly, he found himself out of a job, with Hamilton arriving in Maranello from Mercedes in 2025. The 31-year-old had offers from Alpine and Sauber, later to be Audi, but ended up signing for Williams, which would have been met with apprehension.

Finish the sentence: In 2026, Carlos Sainz will finish ____ in the championship with Williams

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

In 2024, Williams finished ninth in the championship with just 17 points, while Sainz and Charles Leclerc took Ferrari to just 14 points off winning the title, with the former winning two races. He would be going from the second-best to the second-worst team in the paddock in 2025.

Sainz has admitted he misses fighting at the front since leaving Ferrari. However, looking at where the two teams are now, the mood appears much better in Grove than in Maranello.

Hamilton is lacking Sainz’s technical input since replacing him at Ferrari, as he struggles to adapt to the car and the team’s way of working. Meanwhile, the Spaniard has taken that expertise to Williams and scored two podiums in what is, on paper, a slower car.

Carlos Sainz said he’d be ‘hurt’ if Ferrari fought for the title in 2025, his fear hasn’t come true

One of Sainz’s greatest fears when he left Ferrari was that they would become championship contenders after he had moved to Williams. Speaking at the end of 2024, via quotes from Crash, he said it would ‘hurt’ if his old team were battling for the title while he built his way up from the back.

“I am a driver who loves getting involved in the development stuff, living at Maranello to improve the team,” he said. “When I arrived at Ferrari in 2021, my target was to win a championship. We might do it this year in the constructors’.

“It would hurt more if, next year, they are fighting for the drivers’ title. I will feel like I obviously had a bit of an influence in building this team to be a championship-fighting team, [then] to not be here next year. But you turn the page. I can’t wait to be at Williams. It’s just the way things have panned out.”

Fortunately for Sainz, that fear has not come true in 2025, as Ferrari are confirmed to finish P4 ahead of Williams, who sealed P5 in the standings with his podium in Qatar. It has been a nightmare season for the Maranello outfit, who are without a win and are miles away from the top three.

It has been a hugely impressive season for the Grove squad, however, who have made strides forward in the midfield. It already seems like a sigh of relief for the 31-year-old that his old team have not been competitive, as Sainz is ‘glad’ he is still Ferrari’s last winner in F1.

READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

What does Carlos Sainz think about a potential reunion with Ferrari?

After a difficult start to his tenure at Williams, with six points finishes in the first 16 races, the Spaniard is now starting to find his feet. His stock has also risen ahead of the new technical regulations.

Every ‘top’ F1 team wants to sign Sainz in 2027. The feeling is that Ferrari is among them, with a reunion being touted as Hamilton is likely to leave at the end of 2026.

It has been reported that Sainz would ‘rush back’ to Ferrari if he were given the chance. Williams are building an exciting project, but the 31-year-old seems keen to return to Maranello.

However, there is one condition. Sainz will return to Ferrari ‘in the distant future’, suggesting that he plans to wait until the new regulation cycle to make a decision on his next career move.