In the shadow of the sensational news about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Scuderia driver Carlos Sainz also spoke up in the evening.
The news burst into the Formula 1 world like a bomb on Thursday. Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024 and moving to rival Ferrari. Both racing teams confirmed this in the evening.
The deal has consequences, not only for Mercedes, but also for Ferrari. At Scuderia, Carlos Sainz has to make way for the record world champion, as teammate Charles Leclerc recently signed a long-term mega contract. For Sainz, Scuderia will end at the end of 2024, that is now also clear.
Formula 1: Carlos Sainz releases statement
Shortly after the groundbreaking news from the two racing teams, Sainz also turned to social media on Thursday and distributed a statement about his situation. The 29-year-old announced that he would do his “absolute best” at Ferrari. “We have a long season ahead of us,” wrote Sainz. “As always, I will do the best for the team and the Tifosi.”
He will share news regarding his sporting future “in due course”. End of announcement.
Sainz moved from McLaren to Ferrari in 2021. This season he finished seventh with 200 points, six points behind Leclerc. So far, Sainz has achieved two victories in the red racer, and in 2023 he was the only non-Red Bull driver with a GP victory.
Several F1 teams in discussion
It is clear that Sainz is one of the losers in the gigantic Hamilton deal. Where his Formula 1 journey will lead will likely determine the lines of speculation in the coming weeks and months.
According to information from the Spanish newspaper “AS”, the Ferrari driver was also considering Audi as an alternative in addition to Mercedes and Aston Martin. The German car manufacturer Audi will enter Formula 1 as a works team from 2026 and will take over the Sauber racing team. He came to Audi thanks to his father Carlos Sainz sr. best connections. There had been rumors about an Audi change for months.