Making room for Lewis Hamilton in 2025 will be Carlos Sainz, who will have to leave Ferrari at the end of this year. The Spanish driver bid farewell to the Scuderia with a brief statement, where he did not announce his future, which will be revealed only during the course of the season.
After four seasons, Carlos Sainz’s adventure with Ferrari will conclude at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season. He will vacate his seat for Lewis Hamilton, who is arriving from Mercedes after activating a release clause in the contract signed a few months ago with the Silver Arrows.
Carlos Sainz joined the Maranello team in 2021, replacing Sebastian Vettel, a choice strongly advocated by Mattia Binotto, who identified him as the suitable profile to partner with Charles Leclerc. In his first year with the Prancing Horse, Carlos Sainz immediately showed promising signs, securing several podiums and notable results.
The first podium of his Ferrari journey came in Monaco in 2021, where he clinched a fantastic second place behind Max Verstappen. He also secured three third places in Hungary (due to Vettel’s disqualification), in a rain-soaked Russia at the end, and in the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Despite a slow start in 2022, the good performances from the previous year and the confidence in the Madrid-born driver led Ferrari to renew his contract for two more seasons, namely 2023 and 2024. In 2022, he achieved his first pole position and victory, both during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.
After a strong finish to the season, where he improved his connection with the car through updates and adjustments to his driving style, there was hope that 2023 would bring more satisfaction, perhaps with a car capable of challenging Red Bull throughout the season. On the contrary, the year turned out to be lacking in major successes for Ferrari, with Sainz having an inconsistent performance throughout the championship.
The most convincing phase of his season was undoubtedly the middle part, after the summer break, first with the pole at Monza, turning into a podium in front of the sea of red, and then with the victory in Singapore, the only one not dominated by Red Bull in 2023. While Carlos Sainz was confident of continuing his journey in Maranello, Ferrari chose to shift towards Hamilton, creating a dream team with Charles Leclerc.
Following the news, the Spanish driver released a brief statement acknowledging the team’s decision, emphasizing his commitment to giving his best for Ferrari in what will be his final year in Maranello: “Following today’s news, the Ferrari team and I will part ways at the end of 2024. We still have a long season ahead, and as always, I will do my best for the team and fans worldwide.”
“News about my future will be announced in due course,” Carlos Sainz added. At the end of 2024, several drivers will be out of contract, and many teams will be ready to act in the market, with Audi, Mercedes, and other contenders keeping a close eye.
