Entering the 2024 season, Ferrari had one of the best driver pairings on the grid in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had both scored over 200 points in ’23. However, instead of retaining Sainz with a long-term deal, Ferrari went out and signed Lewis Hamilton to replace him.
The move sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 paddock, but perhaps the most surprised person was Carlos Sainz himself.
Sainz never saw the move coming
Heading into 2024, Sainz had just one year left on his contract with Ferrari. They had been in negotiations since October of 2023 with both sides eager to get a deal done, but as the signing date grew closer, Ferrari got cold feet.
“Contract negotiations with Ferrari were a bit stalled in a weird way,” Sainz said in an exclusive interview with High Performance. “We were talking since October to renew my contract and they kept postponing the point of signing and coming to an agreement.”
“I never felt suspicious, I always felt they were just busy with something else. I never felt like it wasn’t going to happen, because the feedback I was getting was ‘we’re going to continue for sure.'”
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari in 2025!#F1 @LewisHamilton @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/M5QrB5pM8G
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 1, 2024
Just like the rest of us, Sainz never saw the move coming. Then, during the winter break, Sainz received a phone call bearing the bad news.
“I went into the winter with the mentality of it will get done before race one of the 2024 season. And suddenly in the middle of January I received a phone call and they suddenly told me the news…I was completely shocked.
“I went from believing I was going to be with Ferrari for a while to suddenly I’m out of Ferrari, Lewis [Hamilton] is replacing me and wondering what am I going to do now?”
It was a hard pill for Sainz to swallow. He’d have to start all over with a new team in 2025, but there were plenty of options – including Red Bull and Mercedes – still on the table.
The frustration of contract negotiations
When Ferrari decided to go another direction, Sainz believed he could still join a team that could give him a race-winning car in 2025, but when negotiations with Red Bull and Mercedes stalled, he realised he’d have to go another route.
“When Ferrari didn’t renew me, I thought I could still be in a competitive car for 2025. It took three or four months then there was a moment I knew I wouldn’t be in a race winning car for 2025. That was probably my second lowest moment.”
Once Red Bull and Mercedes were off the table, Sainz had to change his focus. He knew he wouldn’t have a race-winning car in 2025, so he was focused on finding the shortest route to winning again. In the end, that choice was James Vowels and Williams.
A Deep Look Into Carlos Sainz New Contract With Williams Racing
Sainz is off to a slow start with his new team, scoring 13 points in 12 races and sitting 33 points behind his teammate. But this choice was never about 2025, it was about 2026 and beyond.
