Just two weeks after undergoing surgery to treat his appendicitis, Carlos Sainz drove a brilliant race in Australia to get his 3rd F1 career win. He earned praise from many in the F1 community, with some people making huge claims about Sainz’s future. Mario Andretti is one such person, and per a report from SoyMotor, the former F1 driver believes Sainz will soon be a world champion.
Sainz‘s victory in Australia had the former Ferrari driver admiring him for his dedication. The pace of both Ferrari cars was something that brought immense joy to Andretti, and Sainz’s win capped it perfectly. Furthermore, the 84-year-old claimed he saw markings of a world champion in Carlos Sainz.
“I have always maintained that Carlos [Sainz], like Charles [Leclerc], has the makings of a world champion. We have seen it repeatedly and we will continue to see it.”
Andretti also showed his disagreement with Ferrari over the Lewis Hamilton move. The team opted in favor of letting go of Sainz and bringing Hamilton to drive in place of him. Sainz has been the only driver to defeat Red Bull in a Grand Prix race since 2023. Hence, the former world champion dislikes the move. However, he added that Sainz will find a new team with ease. “I’m sure he will find a great midfielder. He has earned a top team for the future.”
Carlos Sainz looking at a rollercoaster 2024 season
2024 has been an emotional rollercoaster for Sainz. First, he lost out in his F1 seat for 2025, but started his final campaign for Ferrari with a P3 finish in Bahrain. Subsequently, he had to sit out the Saudi Arabian GP due to his surgery, before coming back to win the Australian GP in what was one of his best performance ever.
In Melbourne, before Max Verstappen suffered a DNF, Sainz was hot on his heels and did not allow the Dutchman to build a big lead. He then leaped onto Verstappen early in the second lap and completed the maneuver to overtake him for the lead. Eventually, the Ferrari drivers took home a 1-2 finish, much to the delight of the Tifosi.
However, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023 and 2024 remains “jobless” in 2025. PlanetF1 quoted Sainz as he spoke to Martin Brundle about his future. He claimed that the win was good for him and would help him look for employment as his jobless days inch closer. On a more serious note, Sainz claimed that he proved he could do a good job if he had a good car to drive.
The Spaniard added that he had a good car in Australia. He also applauded his team for their improvement and admitted that Ferrari was much more structured and had greatly improved their race pace, which helped him secure the win.
