With the bombshell announcement at the start of this year that Lewis Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari for 2025, it was revealed that Carlos Sainz would be losing his seat at the Maranello-based team. Much speculation surrounded where he would go, and there was talk of him signing for Mercedes or even Red Bull.
After holding talks with Sauber and a late bid from Alpine, it finally emerged in July that Sainz would be driving for Williams in 2025 on a multi-year deal. The options of Mercedes and Red Bull proved unviable for Sainz as Sergio Perez was re-signed by Red Bull, while Mercedes recruited prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton.
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Ferrari is building momentum, with five wins spread between its two drivers in 2024 so far, three belonging to Charles Leclerc (Monaco, Monza, USA) and two to Sainz (Australia, Mexico). The scarlet team has leapfrogged reigning constructors’ champions Red Bull for second place in the standings, and sits just 36 points shy of leader McLaren with three weekends remaining.
Sainz’s Mexico victory was masterful. He dominated the weekend from start to finish, placing in the top three in every practice session, and produced a fantastic lap in qualifying to secure his first pole position of the season.
Despite briefly losing the lead to Max Verstappen at the first corner, he swiftly retook the lead on lap nine and ultimately finished 4.7s clear of Lando Norris for a fourth F1 victory. “I think everyone knew I wanted one more race win with Ferrari,” he told Sky Sports afterwards. “I felt like I also deserved it.”
If Sainz doesn’t win again this season, it could be a while before he sees the top step of the podium again. A Williams driver has not won since 2012, when Pastor Maldonado scored his only Grand Prix victory in Barcelona. It’s therefore understandable that Sainz would want to cherish his remaining time at Ferrari.
Sainz produced a virtuoso performance to secure his second win of the year in Mexico, which could be his last for Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
Williams is a team with a decorated history, but has in recent years struggled to produce consistent results, falling to the rear of the constructors’ championship in 2018-20 and again in 2022. After finishing seventh last year, its best return yet under the ownership of Dorilton Capital, the team is ahead only of pointless Sauber at…
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