Carlos Sainz Jr. has four more races remaining with Ferrari before he moves to Williams in 2025. Fortunately, his final few races are turning out to be the best time he has spent with the Italian outfit.
Enjoying this purple patch, the Spaniard bagged a dominant victory at the Mexican GP. His father, Carlos Sainz Sr., believes his son is not done yet as the ultimate goal for him is to bag another win before his departure.
Sainz Sr. felt elated after he saw his son cross the checkered flag ahead of the rest in Mexico. He believes Sainz Jr. is currently soaring with confidence and when that happens, it shows in his performance as well.
Owing to this rising confidence, the multiple-time Rally champion believes his son can bag another win this season. That, according to him, is Sainz Jr.’s target before leaving Ferrari.
“You’ll have to ask him, but I probably know the answer. He’ll like to win another Grand Prix now. But I’m sure he’ll try to enjoy this one (Mexico),” Sainz Sr. told Formula1.com.
Vaya finde @Carlossainz55!! Muy orgulloso y muy contento de haber podido acompañarte en directo. Keep pushing
What a weekend @Carlossainz55!!! Very proud and very happy to have been able to follow you live. Keep pushing pic.twitter.com/BXweoRivL5
— Carlos Sainz (@CSainz_oficial) October 28, 2024
Apart from the four remaining races, Sainz Jr. also has two sprint races remaining to try his luck. The next race in Sao Paulo brings with itself both those opportunities, at a time when Ferrari seems to have the momentum.
Interlagos could prove to be a curveball, though. Given the track’s nature combined with high, medium, and slow-speed corners, it is often difficult to get the downforce setting right.
However, it is not something Ferrari has faced problems with in the last two race weekends. Especially at the US GP, the team improved as the weekend progressed and more data was gathered. The resultant tweaks to the car helped Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc bag a one-two finish despite not starting from the first row.
Williams move another reason behind Sainz Jr.’s added motivation
Despite their development in the right direction, Williams is nowhere near finishing in podium places. There is a good chance that things might not improve significantly for the Grove-based outfit when Sainz Jr. joins them in 2025.
That gives him an added motivation to bag as many wins and podium finishes with Ferrari while he can. The fear of never again making it to the podium could also explain why Sainz Jr. reportedly has an exit clause for the 2026 season.
That clause, however, can only be triggered if he has an opportunity to bag a seat with Red Bull or Mercedes. While the chances of that happening are low, the Spaniard would not like to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
