Carlos Sainz’s time at Ferrari officially ends. After four years, the Spanish driver will move to Williams, another historic team in the Formula 1 circus. To honor him, the Maranello team allowed him and his father to take the final laps with the F1-75 at the Fiorano circuit, a car that was gifted to him as a memento of his first triumph.
But how was Carlos Sainz’s last season in red? It was full of ups and downs. On many occasions, he proved to be very competitive and able to keep pace with the front runners, while on others, he appeared much off the pace. These latter instances had a significant impact on the final Constructors’ Championship standings.
First Half of the Season: Carlos Sainz and Ferrari’s Consistency
The first Grand Prix of the season were fantastic for Carlos Sainz. If we exclude Jeddah, where he did not race due to an appendix operation, he scored 55 points. In Bahrain, taking advantage of his teammate’s brake issues, he managed to secure the lowest step of the podium, a performance he would replicate in Suzuka.
Between these two races, however, there was a miracle. A few weeks after the surgery, at the Albert Park circuit in Australia, he managed to take a wonderful victory. From the very first laps, he attacked Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, which retired after a few laps, and set the pace for all 58 laps of the race, winning ahead of Charles Leclerc and the McLaren cars.
Second Half of the Season: Ferrari’s Downfall… What a Hit for Carlos Sainz!
In the following months, however, came Ferrari’s dark period. In fourteen races, from Shanghai to Singapore, the Spaniard would step onto the podium only twice: in Monaco and Austria, following the disaster between Norris and Verstappen. Notable were also the retirements in Canada and Baku. In the first, raced in wet conditions, Carlos Sainz lost control of the car and hit the barriers, while in the second, he was involved in an incident with Sergio Perez.
Most likely, if we look at the points deficit to McLaren at the end of the season, these two retirements had a huge impact on Ferrari. In the final part of the season, however, Carlos Sainz and Ferrari’s performances improved. He scored 84 points, excluding the errors in Brazil.
Final Part of the Season: Ferrari’s Recovery and Carlos’s Farewell
From the victory in Mexico to the second places in Austin and Abu Dhabi, these were all moments where the Spanish driver demonstrated consistency and speed, without hiding his aggression. These performances led millions of fans to question Frederic Vasseur’s choice for next season when Maranello will welcome Lewis Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz concluded his last season in red in fifth place, which remains his best result in the championship standings. He was just two points short of catching McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
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