Even before the 2024 season got underway, Fred Vasseur made the difficult decision to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Despite replacing the Spaniard, Vasseur has only positive things to say about him as Sainz hasn’t reduced his commitment towards Ferrari even in his last season with them.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Carlos,” the Frenchman said in an exclusive with Formula1.com. “For what he has done in the last few years, but especially the last two years with me”.
“He was clearly part of the recovery of the team last year and this season he is doing a good job again,” Vasseur further added. “I know that the situation at the beginning of the season was not easy. But he is mega professional”.
Sainz started his 2024 campaign on a solid note with a podium but unfortunately had to miss out on the second race in Jeddah due to appendicitis. Despite that setback, the #55 driver returned in Australia strongly to win the Grand Prix. While the Italian team has gone through a roller-coaster of performance in 2024, Sainz has consistently kept pushing toward ending his stint with them on a good note.
Ferrari‘s decision to replace Sainz came as a huge shocker as he is undoubtedly one of the top drivers on the current grid. Soon after the team announced that he would not drive for them from 2025 onwards, many experts expected the former McLaren driver to be one of the most sought-after drivers for this year’s silly season.
Congrats to Charles and the entire team!! Shame I couldn’t keep a podium position. A one-stop was the right call, but I lost some time by extending the first stint. The car seems to work better, let’s try to keep up the good results.
–#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/OJh3ARGXxr
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) September 1, 2024
However, much to everyone’s surprise, he could not secure a seat at any of the top teams. As a result, the Spaniard eventually decided to sign for Williams, whose team principal James Vowles could not believe his luck in landing the now 30-year-old on his side.
Vowles was surprised Red Bull or Mercedes did not sign Sainz
Red Bull have been facing immense concerns this year as not only is Sergio Perez continuing to underperform, but also their 2024 car has not been as quick as its predecessors. Thus, it became all the more crucial for Red Bull’s drivers to score every point in such a difficult time to help the team retain the constructors’ championship. Many believed that the Austrian side will replace Perez in 2025, who had struggled to meet this objective so far this year.
When Vowles was questioned if he would have signed Sainz alongside Max Verstappen if he were the boss at Red Bull, the current Williams team principal replied, “When you’re in Red Bull’s position where you’ve got a constructors’ championship at risk, it’s a hard decision but yes, I would have Carlos alongside Max”.
Vowles then revealed he was surprised at his luck of being able to sign Sainz as he believes that the Spaniard is among the top four drivers on the current grid. Hence, it was a no-brainer for him to sign the #55 driver once he became available.
