Carlos Sainz makes new revelations about Ferrari’s “weird way” tactics before Lewis Hamilton signing

Carlos Sainz revealed Ferrari's "weird" tactics of postponing his contract talks before eventually replacing him with Lewis Hamilton. He mentioned that he always found a place within the team, and it was rather shocking that he wasn't set to continue in the future.

Sainz joined the team in the 2021 season after they parted ways with Sebastian Vettel. The Spaniard always came across as a strong and consistent driver. Although he wasn't always the fastest one in the team, he did manage to deliver what they required. With him, they also managed to finish the season as runners-up twice in 2022 and 2024.

His contract was set to expire at the end of the 2024 season. Hence, Sainz had been in talks of an extension since October 2023. However, the team kept postponing the signing, he told PlanetF1.

"Contract negotiations with Ferrari were a bit stalled in a weird way, because we were talking since October to renew my contract," Carlos Sainz said. "They kept postponing the point of signing and the point of coming to an agreement."

It wasn't just weeks before the start of the 2024 season that Ferrari would announce Lewis Hamilton as their driver for the 2025 season. While most of Tifosi celebrated, it was apparent who he was set to replace in the team.

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Carlos Sainz found Lewis Hamilton's signing "a bit shocking"

As mentioned, Sainz had always been a consistent and competitive driver. Delivering multiple victories and podiums for the team, bringing them crucial points, and assisting with strategies were just some of the many ways he kept the morale up.

Hamilton's signing was a shock, not just to the entire Formula 1 community, but also to Carlos Sainz. He revealed that the team broke the news to him in the middle of January that year.

"And suddenly, in the middle of January, end of January, I receive a phone call and they suddenly tell me the news. I heard from a friend that called me," Sainz told PlanetF1. "I was completely shocked. I went from believing I was going to be in Ferrari for a while, to suddenly Lewis is replacing me, and ‘What am I going to do now."

He further mentioned that he never thought Ferrari would not continue with him.

"It never occurred to me that that could happen, and it was a bit shocking."

Carlos Sainz continued delivering in the 2024 season, almost as if to show Ferrari what he could bring to the table. He ended the season with a whopping nine podiums and two race wins. This helped the team clinch the crucial points and finish second in the championship.

He then signed a deal with Williams Racing. Along with Alex Albon, he has managed to consistently deliver so far, bringing them up in the fifth place in the Constructors' Championship.