Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move for the 2025 season has already kickstarted a butterfly effect. The first person it affects is Carlos Sainz, who was planning on signing an extension with the team. However, Hamilton’s arrival means he will have to look for a seat in another team. As the Spaniard weighs his options, let us take a look at his impressive stint with Ferrari.
When did Carlos Sainz sign for Ferrari and why?
Carlos Sainz started his F1 career with Toro Rosso in 2015. He was paired with Max Verstappen, who made the switch to the senior Red Bull team the very next year.
Sensing there was no opportunity for a promotion any time soon, Sainz made a switch to Renault in 2017. The move proved counterproductive as his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, proved to be a force to reckon with.
Sainz then moved places once again, knocking on the McLaren doors in 2019. The two seasons spent with the Woking-based outfit made him a star as he registered his first podium finish in his very first season.
An impressive display of mature driving coupled with controlled aggression caught Ferrari’s eye. Sainz then joined the Italian outfit in 2021 and continued to impress the experts.
How much did he earn at Ferrari?
As per Total Motorsport, Carlos Sainz makes $12 million in salary at Ferrari. The figure puts him somewhere in the middle of the table among his peers in F1. However, it’s the other perks of being a Ferrari driver that make the job more desirable than most.
One is the prestige of being the driver of the most successful and oldest F1 team. The other is access to their ultra-quick and uber-expensive supercars. In December 2021, the Spaniard added a personalized Ferrari 812 Competizione to his already lavish garage.
How many race wins did he have at Ferrari?
Carlos Sainz has registered two race wins, 18 podium finishes, and five pole positions in his career so far. Apart from his two podium finishes with McLaren (P3 at the 2019 Brazilian GP and P2 at the 2020 Italian GP), all those career achievements came at Ferrari.
Sainz’s most recent race win at the 2023 Singapore GP arguably trumps all those achievements, though. That is because that win made him the only non-Red Bull driver to secure a victory last year.
Is he the first Spanish racer to be at Ferrari?
Carlos Sainz is not the first Spanish driver to race for Ferrari. Two Spaniards drove for the Maranello-based team prior to his joining. First was Alfonso de Portago. Portago raced for Scuderia Ferrari in many disciplines, including F1.
He died in 1957 at just 28 years of age when his Ferrari 335S crashed after a tire burst. His navigator and nine other spectators also lost their lives in the devastating high-speed crash.
The other Spaniard to race for Ferrari is none other than the two-time championship winner, Fernando Alonso. The 42-year-old raced for the Prancing Horse for five years (2010-2014), finishing as runner-up thrice.
Where will Carlos Sainz go after Ferrari?
Carlos Sainz has a year before finalizing his next destination in F1. Given his recent record, it is highly unlikely that he would have to sit on the sidelines for a year.
