Sainz Snubbed: Ferrari’s Call Sparks Spanish Backlash

Carlos Sainz Sr. addresses the rising frustration in Spain over Ferrari’s decision to replace his son with Lewis Hamilton for 2025.

Carlos Sainz’s father has denied that Ferrari treated the Spanish driver unfairly.

Despite his strong performances alongside Charles Leclerc in recent seasons, the Maranello-based team has chosen to replace him for 2025 and beyond with Lewis Hamilton.

However, rally legend Sainz Sr. has had to respond to growing discontent in Spain and the notion that Ferrari acted unfairly toward his son.

“I wouldn’t describe it as misconduct by Scuderia,” Sainz Sr. replied when asked whether Spanish fans were right to be outraged after witnessing Lewis Hamilton’s early steps at Ferrari.

“It’s just that the circumstances of the perfect storm came together.”

“Ferrari was happy with Carlos, but the opportunity to sign Lewis arose because Hamilton himself created it. He was the one who approached Ferrari.”

“Maybe the process could have been more transparent, but then it would have leaked, and Ferrari didn’t want that.”

Sainz Sr. pointed to a clear sign that his son was fully respected by Ferrari—the gift of his 2022 race-winning F1 car.

“They gave him a modern F1 car, they invited me to drive at Fiorano with him in an F1.”

“That’s proof of recognition and goodwill for all these things to happen.”

However, the father of the 2025 Williams driver acknowledged that some in the paddock and beyond tend to underestimate Sainz’s true talent.

“Because of his personality, and because he came after Fernando (Alonso) and so on, I think he hasn’t been given the value and recognition he deserves.”

“He also had a tense relationship with Max Verstappen, which left him somewhat in the shadows. Then he ended up driving for Ferrari, which is not easy. I believe the best version of Carlos is yet to come.”

“He’s a driver who keeps making big strides, and it seems that every year, he delivers his best version. Some drivers arrive very quickly, give everything, and then plateau, but Carlos continues to improve year after year.”

Another major setback for Sainz was that, despite losing his Ferrari seat, the other top teams—particularly Mercedes and Red Bull—chose not to sign him.

“He struggled to overcome the shock of having to leave Ferrari. Then he found it difficult to accept that, due to circumstances, Mercedes and Red Bull weren’t opening their doors to him.”

“Once all of that passed and he decided to join Williams, he became very excited and is eager for the season to begin.”

However, he acknowledges that Williams is not yet fully ready to excel in F1.

“It has been a tough year for them. I believe Williams finished 16th and 18th in the last race and second to last in the constructors’ standings. But Carlos remains highly motivated and is eager to get to work on track.”