Carlos Sainz is taking a mature approach to Ferrari’s decision not to retain him for the 2026 season, focusing on maintaining a positive attitude despite the outcome.
Expressing a blend of emotions about his impending departure from Ferrari, Sainz acknowledged the progress he and the team had achieved together, portraying a sense of optimism amidst the transition.
Following Ferrari’s choice to secure Lewis Hamilton for a multi-year partnership with Charles Leclerc, Sainz understands he’ll be parting ways with the Italian squad by the conclusion of 2024.
Despite this development, Sainz’s stellar performance in the current season, where he stands out as the only driver besides Max Verstappen to clinch a victory, underscores his professional commitment and resilience.
When questioned about his sentiments regarding the impending departure juxtaposed with his recent achievements, Sainz admitted to experiencing conflicting emotions. He acknowledged the positive momentum of the project he had been involved in at Ferrari, contributing to the complexity of his feelings.
Reflecting on his tenure at Ferrari, Sainz remarked, “There’s a bit of a mixed feeling regarding that, in a way obviously being my fourth year in Ferrari.
“We’ve been three years working together on the fact that all this hard work, and all the time that I’ve spent in Maranello, helping this team and developing together with this team, a project that now is starting to pay off.
“And we are starting to show the progress of the [work] with the engineers and Charles and Fred and the fact that we’re performing better as a team.
“And it’s giving me a car that I trust more. And all this feedback from the last few years has been put together and is delivering, this makes me feel very happy about this year.”
Although content with the present state of affairs, Carlos Sainz expresses a tinge of sorrow over the inability to prolong his collaboration with the Maranello-based team into the future.
Acknowledging the melancholy that accompanies the conclusion of their partnership, Sainz perceives this as a natural progression in his journey.
Drawing parallels to his past experiences, Sainz intends to approach his departure from Ferrari with the same introspection he applied when parting ways with Toro Rosso and Renault. He anticipates reflecting on his time with the Italian outfit in due course.
“I’ve been sad about the fact that we cannot continue the journey together,” admitted Sainz, reflecting on the imminent end of his tenure with Ferrari.
“Because I feel like, in a way, we were doing a good job together and everything is taking the correct shape into the future and into the regulation change of 2026.
“But that’s life. That’s how life has decided to go again, it was not my decision or not my first choice, as you guys know. But it might mean that there’s something even better to come in the future.
“So in life, I think you always need to see things once things happen, and then look back. Like when I left Toro Rosso at the time and Renault at the time.
“And now when you look back, everything makes sense, how life planned out. And this is another case of maybe in the future, look back and we’ll see how it all played out.”
