Formula 1 News: Sainz’s father denies Ferrari ‘behaved badly’

(GMM) Carlos Sainz’s father has denied Ferrari treated the Spanish driver unfairly. Despite performing well as Charles Leclerc’s teammate in recent seasons, the Maranello based team decided to replace him for 2025 and beyond with Lewis Hamilton.

But rally legend Sainz senior, 62, took issue with the characterization that Ferrari had behaved badly towards his son.

“I wouldn’t describe it as the Scuderia behaving badly,” he told the El Cafelito de Josep Pedrerol podcast. “It’s that the circumstances of the perfect storm arose.

“Ferrari was happy with Carlos, but the possibility appeared because Hamilton himself produced it,” Sainz senior added. “It was he who approached Ferrari.

“Perhaps the process could have been clearer, but then it would have been leaked and Ferrari did not want that.”

Sainz snr said a sure sign that his 30-year-old son is fully respected by Ferrari was the team’s gift of his race-winning 2022 car. “They gave him a car,” he said, “they invited me to drive in Fiorano with a F1 car.

“He had to do things very well and to leave with good feelings for all those things to happen.”

The 2025 Williams driver’s father, however, did acknowledge that some in the paddock and the wider world do tend to undervalue Sainz’s true talent.

“Because of his personality,” Sainz senior explained, “and because he came after Fernando (Alonso) and so on, I think he has not been assigned the value and quality that he has.

“He also coincided with (Max) Verstappen and that left him a bit in the shadows. Then he ended up driving for Ferrari, which is not easy. I think the best version of Carlos is yet to come.

“He is a driver who takes steps and it seems that every year he brings out his best version. There are drivers who arrive very quickly, give their all and then stagnate, but Carlos continues to improve every year.”

Another big blow for Sainz was the fact that despite losing his Ferrari seat, the other top teams – notably Mercedes and Red Bull – opted against snapping him up.

“It was difficult for him to get over the shock of having to leave Ferrari,” said the Williams driver’s father. “Then it was difficult for him to digest that, due to the circumstances, Mercedes and Red Bull were not opening the door.

“Once all of that had passed and he decided to go to Williams, now I see him very excited and eager for the season to start.”

Nonetheless, Sainz’s father and namesake admits that Williams is not quite ready to excel in F1.

“It was a difficult year for them,” he said. “I think Williams finished 16th and 18th in the last race and second to last in the constructors’ table. But still, Carlos is very excited and eager for the season.”