Carlos Sainz is moving to Williams after his Ferrari exit: Expert Marc Surer cannot understand why the Spaniard was not taken on by Mercedes
A nice end to his Ferrari career: Carlos Sainz was able to do a few laps of honor in the 2022 F1-75 together with his father on the in-house Ferrari test track in Fiorano. Team principal Fred Vasseur and team-mate Charles Leclerc were also present, so it was a conciliatory farewell from the Scuderia family…
However, the Spaniards never made a secret of the fact that Sainz Jr. and Sr. cannot really understand that the Ferrari adventure is now ending. that there is still a lack of understanding in the Sainz camp about the impending career setback:
“It’s hard to believe that a multiple Grand Prix winner has to join a backbench team,” says Surer, who had a long and animated conversation with Sainz Sr. in the paddock at the season finale in Abu Dhabi: ”We talked about the opportunities he had. Red Bull was certainly one, because that’s where he actually started, at Toro Rosso, or whatever the team was called back then,“ Surer reveals.
”And then Mercedes… I would have taken him at Mercedes. Why take the risk with the very young now, when you probably would have had the chance to place him at Williams, as they did with Russell,” says the Swiss, referring to the signing of rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at the Silver Arrows.
Surer: Switch to backbench team ‘not logical’
Accordingly, Surer understands the frustration at Sainz: “Well, I agree with the father Carlos that what happened here is not logical.” Among the options that ultimately remained, Williams still seemed to be the most attractive offer – although Sainz also negotiated with the future Audi works team Sauber:
“But that took too long for him and it was also about them wanting a multi-year contract,” Surer reveals. While Audi insisted on a long-term commitment for the contract durations, Williams was willing to make concessions in the form of release clauses to get a driver of Sainz’ caliber.
That’s why Surer explains: “I think he’s in a position now where he can leave at any time, even if it’s not officially communicated that way.” In case a top team like Mercedes, Red Bull or Aston Martin should come knocking again for 2026…