Carlos Sainz does not want to close the door on Ferrari for good, even if he has to vacate his cockpit at the Scuderia for the 2025 Formula 1 season
Even though his departure for 2025 has already been decided, Carlos Sainz does not want to rule out the possibility of returning to Ferrari one day: “Yes, I won’t be driving for Ferrari in 2025, but who knows what will happen in the future,” said the Spaniard in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “I still have ten years left in my career. “
Sainz had hoped for an early contract extension with Ferrari in the winter, but Lewis Hamilton’s suddenly announced move from Mercedes to Maranello closed that door for him after teammate Charles Leclerc extended his contract long-term.
It is not yet known what will happen for the Spaniard in 2025. However, he himself says that the situation is easier for him than it might look from the outside. “I have one more year with Ferrari. That means I can focus purely on the one year with them and get the maximum out of this year’s package,” he emphasizes.
And when the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi is over, “then I’ll say goodbye to everyone,” says Sainz. “It will be emotional because I spent four years with this fantastic team and enjoyed every second. I loved being teammates with Charles and there were many great moments.”
But according to him, it doesn’t have to be goodbye forever. At the age of 29, he still has a few years ahead of him in Formula 1, and who knows what will happen in those years? “That’s why I’m a fan of not closing all the doors,” he says.
But the Spaniard doesn’t need to worry about that just yet. With 22 races left on the calendar this season, there are still more than enough Grands Prix on the schedule to give him no time to think about the future. “You don’t know how the season will go,” he says.
In any case, team-mate Charles Leclerc believes that Sainz will find a good cockpit next year. Although he knows that being booted out of Ferrari will be difficult for him at first, “on the other hand, I’m also sure that it will open up a lot of opportunities for him,” he says. “There will be many doors that open for him.”
Many Formula 1 contracts expire in 2024. For many teams such as Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin, the driver pairing for 2025 has not yet been decided. However, a future cockpit at Audi, where he would meet former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl again, is considered a possible option, even if he would probably have to take a step back for 2025 at Sauber.
