Last Updated on December 11 2024, 3:19 pm

Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari career came to an abrupt end in Abu Dhabi following get the intervention of the Group chairman John Elkann, who had signed a deal with Lewis Hamilton. Yet it was Mercedes who caused the domino effect in this year’s driver market when they ‘’agreed’ a contract with Lewis Hamilton for a two year extension to his career with the silver arrows.

Yet the deal was not a two year fixed term as presented, in 2023, in fact it was what they call a one plus one where both parties may chose to opt in for a second year. Clearly Hamilton was unhappy his team’s lack of long term commitment and within just a handful of months from putting pen to paper with Mercedes, Lewis had agreed a contract with Ferrari which was in fact a two year guaranteed time frame with options beyond.

Sainz was to have to endure the long goodbye to the team he has served well for four years as with 24 races ahead of him he knew his time with the Maranello team would end come the end of the season.

 

 

 

Sainz on loan to Williams

This week, Ferrari ‘loaned’ Carlos to Williams for two days so he could drive the FW46 at the post season Pirelli test. He wore a plain white racing suit and helmet out of respect for his current employer as he is committed to them for various sponsorship occasions which end come January 1st 2025.

It seemed for a while that Mercedes would offer the Spaniard a one year deal while they prepared their protege which is Kimi Antonelli. Yet whether Sainz refused this on the grounds he wanted to secure his future longer term in the sport or whether the terms were never agreed will presumably be come out in Toto Wolff’s next biography.

Red Bull are desperate for an experienced driver alongside Max Verstappen yet the reports would not go away that Carlos’ father and Jos Verstappen had clashed regularly during their one year together at Toro Rosso. Team principal at Williams James Vowles has been talking up the project of returning the British racing marquee to the front of the grid this year, but as McLaren have demonstrated this is not the work of a moment.

Carlos is surely just marking time until a slot within a top team becomes available. Yet the Spaniard proved this week he is not just at Williams to turn the wheel, he will genuinely give its his all. Speaking following the one day test on Tuesday, Sainz proved his commitment to the Williams cause and his buy into Vowles project.

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Carlos shows deep commitment

“It’s impossible to know how long it’s going to take me and Williams to be back fighting for podium positions,” said Sainz.

“James [Vowles, Williams team principal] said it the other day and calmed everyone’s expectations: next year is going to be tough and a learning year before the change of regulations in ’26, where I believe the team is investing and the team is preparing to maximise that chance.”

The road for Williams is indeed long, with many a winding turn ahead. But with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as their drivers, they know the future cars they design will be raced to their maximum capabilities. Sainz turned down offers from two works outfits in Sauber/Audi and Alpine to join Williams so he must believe they have the greatest potential to become a front running outfit.

“I’m as determined as ever to help that team to be back where it belongs. I personally feel like I belong fighting for wins, podiums and top fives in Formula 1, I’ve proven it these last four years as a [Ferrari] driver,” Sainz continued.

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Williams project length indeterminate

“But Williams also belongs to fighting for these top-five and podium places and together with the determination and the strength that we’re going to show, the target is to get Williams and myself fighting for those positions in the near future.”

Aston Martin have proven that splashing the big bucks doesn’t necessarily buy success in F1. They moved into their $200m state of the art facility in Silverstone last season, but the car design this year failed to impress. Of course with Adrian Newey arriving in April next, there will be a new source of inspiration for the big car design rule changes coming in 2026.

The length of time Williams need to complete their renewal project is uncertain, but they start from a very low base as Vowles explained earlier this season. Whilst the front of the grid teams use software to track the progress of everyone of the 20,000 components required for their car, Williams were sing a spreadsheet when Vowles looked under the skin of the project.

“How long that’s going to take? I cannot tell you”, said Carlos. “But I don’t think you guys understand and expect how motivated and how much I’m actually looking forward to that challenge. That’s one of my qualities, to help a team to perform better and to know which directions to follow.”

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Sainz helped McLaren recover

“And that actually motivates me, having a full team behind Alex [Albon] and me pushing all in the same direction to make a historic team like Williams competitive again. It’s tough to explain but some people don’t understand how much I’m actually looking forward to it.”

Having delivered the installation laps at a filming day on Sunday, Sainz set about maximising the time in the car come the Tuesday test. He banked 146 laps on Tuesday, just under the distance of three Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, which Williams will interpret as Carlos being deadly serious.

Sainz was for two years part of the McLaren recovery project, but given he left there four years ago, this defines the task ahead for Williams.

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Red Bull “afraid” to hold post test media event says journalist

The 2024 Formula One season has been the longest in history and for the teams and their personnel there was a general air of weariness in the paddock for the Abu Dhabi finale. Red Bull have had a trying year after their uber dominant season in 2023 despite the fact Verstappen won four of the five races at the start of the year.

This could easily have been five from five as in Australia Max was prevented from driving for the win when his RB20 suffered a mechanical problem and he was forced to retire early in the race.

Come the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull reached the zenith of their lead this year over the chasing pack as they sat 71 points ahead of McLaren their closest rival. The in season development of the RB20 then imploded which meant from Spain Verstappen would suffer a barren winless streak of ten weekends, before his glorious drive to victory in the monsoon which swept across Interlagos… READ MORE