Carlos Sainz has already formalized his move to Williams after participating in the post-season test with the Grove-based team in Abu Dhabi earlier this month. However, given the nature of F1 contracts, the #55 driver’s official last day with Ferrari was New Year’s Eve.
Therefore, his teammate, Charles Leclerc took it upon himself to deliver a heartfelt and emotional farewell to the Spanish racing ace on their last day together as partners. He took to his Instagram account to write,
“So many great moments shared that I will look back at proud and happy to have shared them with you.”
Leclerc hailed the 30-year-old for pushing him to the limit for four years at Ferrari. In fact, since the Monegasque racing ace joined the Scuderia, Sainz has been the only driver to consistently match—and often outperform—him on pure pace. This is particularly notable given that Leclerc’s previous teammate was none other than four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
charles’ response to carlos’ post, also talking about their years together as teammates pic.twitter.com/L5TVmzfBwC
— clara (@leclercsletters) December 31, 2024
Leclerc’s tribute came in the form of a repost of Sainz’s earlier post commemorating the duo’s time together with the Maranello-based outfit. Sainz had written, “Thank you for all the great moments we’ve shared along the way. Wishing you nothing but the best for next year and beyond!”
After emotional farewell, Sainz and Ferrari focus on their 2025 objectives
With Sainz now on the cusp of becoming an official Williams driver, his priorities have shifted from expecting wins and podiums to waking a sleeping giant of the sport up. Dominant in the 80s and 90s, Williams has found themselves without Silverware for decades and will hope to change that trend with Sainz’s arrival.
The Madrid-born driver will be expected to work with the engineers and lead the car’s development into 2026 and beyond. And he’s no stranger to this role after admitting it himself that he contributed to the revolution at McLaren which saw them go from the midfield to becoming Constructors’ Champions in 2024.
Meanwhile, Leclerc and Ferrari are likely still lamenting their missed opportunities from last season. Having fallen short of the Constructors’ title by just 14 points, they’ll be eager to close the gap to McLaren and others, especially with Lewis Hamilton’s imminent arrival.
