“He would be more welcome back at Ferrari": F1 expert claims Carlos Sainz could make his way back to Maranello

Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari meant that Carlos Sainz had to make way for the incoming Brit for the 2025 season. While the Spaniard's departure left many to reckon that it would have left a sour taste in the 30-year-old's camp, F1 expert Scott Mitchell-Malm revealed how all the bridges haven't been burnt between the two sides by claiming that Sainz would be welcome at Maranello.

Sainz arrived at Ferrari in 2021 and immediately beat Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings in his maiden season with the team. However, this statistic witnessed a 180-degree turn with the advent of the ground-effect era of regulations, as the Monegasque had the better of the 30-year-old in the following seasons.

Despite this, the two were relatively closely matched in terms of points scored, and Sainz had formed cordial relations within Maranello. Though Hamilton's arrival disrupted his stay at the Italian giant, he was at peace with the decision.

Shedding light on the two camps' relations, Scott Mitchell-Malm claimed that Sainz would still be welcome at Ferrari if a seat opens up at the Prancing Horses on The Race F1 podcast:

"I think [Carlos] Sainz would actually be more welcome back at Ferrari than some people think, because I know there is a kind of division amongst the fanbases, and there is this belief that Sainz and his entourage were toxic, and he has left on bad terms." (21:20 onwards)

"But, I have literally seen both Carlos and people around him in his camp walk past various people in and around Ferrari hospitality and the garage and stuff like that. And he’s incredibly high thought of within that organisation; I think he would be welcome back there."

Carlos Sainz opted to move to Williams on a multi-year contract after he had to make way for Hamilton's arrival at Maranello.

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Carlos Sainz has not ruled out a switch back to Ferrari

Carlos Sainz at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary race weekend - Source: Getty

Carlos Sainz was one of the seven drivers to have won multiple races last year, making it his most successful F1 season. While his results seemingly peaked the previous year, he doesn't have the machinery capable of fighting for wins at Williams, as the team is currently in a tough fight among midfield teams.

Moreover, the Spaniard has only scored 16 points at the summer break point. While he is aiming to work on the Williams F1 project, when asked about whether a possible reunion with Ferrari was possible, Sainz did not rule it out when asked on the Beyond the Grid podcast last year:

"Yeah, why not? I don’t see why not. At the same time, I cannot see it happening anytime soon... So if I’m in F1 for as long as that, who tells you that in these next 10 years, Ferrari might need my services again in the future?"

Sainz sits 16th in the championship standings, with his last points finish coming at the Canadian GP.