Former F1 champion 'sorry' for Ferrari's rejection of Carlos Sainz

1978 Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti expressed his sympathy for Carlos Sainz, who is set to be replaced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025. Andretti was "sorry" about Sainz's inability to secure a seat with another top team in the sport, as the Spaniard has instead signed with the Williams F1 team, led by team principal James Vowles. 

Andretti boasts a legendary motorsport career, highlighted by an F1 championship title, a victory at the Daytona 500, participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a storied presence in NASCAR. His contribution to the world of motorsport has been immense.

After Hamilton's Ferrari signing in February, Sainz was linked to multiple teams throughout the 2024 season, with Mercedes being the only top team with an open seat. However, team principal Toto Wolff opted to sign F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was officially confirmed during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

After the Williams signing, Sainz revealed that he was eager to race for the Grove outfit, as the challenge of elevating the team's position in the championship lay ahead of him. However, while Andretti was excited about Hamilton's Ferrari move, he felt Sainz deserved a better opportunity. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said:

“It is great to see a driver like Hamilton coming to Ferrari.

“I am sure he will bring a lot of knowledge, after a whole career spent working with British teams, and also a lot of interest from the fans for this new phase in his life. 

“On the other hand, however, I have to say that I feel very sorry for Carlos Sainz, who in recent years has shown that he can fight at the highest level and is often on a par with Charles Leclerc. 

“I think he has been a bit sacrificed and I am sorry that he has not found a top team for his future in Formula 1.”

However, the Spaniard chose to perceive his Williams signing positively, acknowledging the hurt ego when Ferrari rejected him. Still, he is now open to the exciting challenge that awaits him in 2025. He said:

“I’ve definitely come to peace and I’m a true believer that if I’m not going there, it’s because life just doesn’t want me to be there – there’s something else coming after that that will actually turn out to be good.

“It hurt at the time. We all have egos… I have a driver ego and I couldn’t understand it at the time. I still personally cannot understand certain choices that people have done.

“At the same time, it creates even more of a challenge in me, it even makes me more excited for Williams. Williams is the one that has invested in me, that have backed me up from the beginning, the ones that came to me a full year ago.

“It actually makes me super excited. I’ve said, ‘I want to give to these guys what they’ve given to me’, give back to them this trust and this belief in me. It gives me good strength. I cannot wait to go there and together with them build something good.”