No regrets: Why Carlos Sainz still stands by his 2021 Ferrari switch despite McLaren’s rise. Carlos Sainz reflects on his 2021 move to Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz, current Williams driver, has explained how his decision to join Ferrari in 2021 proved to be a turning point in his career.

A positive start to the season for Carlos Sainz: the Spanish driver managed to collect two points straight away in China, which are already important in terms of the championship standings. Speaking in a recent interview, the Williams driver took a step back to analyse a key decision that changed the trajectory of his Formula 1 career — his move to Ferrari in 2021.

Sainz on leaving McLaren for Ferrari: “It was the right thing to do”

Carlos Sainz spoke about a crucial year in his Formula 1 career: 2021, when he made the switch from McLaren to Ferrari. The decision to join the Maranello-based team turned out to be a positive turning point in his career, allowing him to secure several podium finishes. However, considering how competitive McLaren has become since his departure, does the Spaniard have any regrets in 2026?

“No. And I’ll explain why: first of all, in 2021, at Ferrari, I achieved the first podiums of my career,” Carlos Sainz said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“In 2022 I won my first races, and in 2023, while I was continuing to win at Ferrari, McLaren was still almost at the back of the grid in qualifying in Bahrain. At the time, I would have thought: ‘I would win races if I were at Ferrari’.

“I think [leaving McLaren] was the right thing to do at the right time. The only thing I feel is happiness for the team. I am genuinely happy for them and I have no regrets. Lando has always been quick since his first day in Formula 1. I simply believe that over the last six years he has become a more complete driver and definitely more of a championship contender. He proved it in 2025 with a very strong second half of the season.”

His Williams career: “A life project”

Looking ahead to his future, Carlos Sainz does not regret his decision to join Williams. Instead, he compares his current team to the McLaren he joined back in 2019, believing that the team could return to fighting at the front with his contribution. However, he admits that winning again remains an extremely difficult challenge.

“I think every team and every journey are completely different, but the situation in which I found Williams in 2025 is very similar to the one I found at McLaren between 2019 and 2020,” he stated.

“I don’t know how long it will take Williams compared to McLaren; also, what McLaren achieved by eventually becoming World Champions is extremely difficult.

“Because even if Williams becomes more competitive in the coming years, getting back to winning is another step that is even more complicated. So congratulations to McLaren for that. But yes, I would say Williams is at a similar point to where McLaren was in 2019.

“[Williams is] a life project, because I am now 31 years old and I feel ready to approach the next years of my career with a very clear goal in mind: to try to help this team return to fighting for top positions.”