Carlos Sainz makes admission after initial Red Bull, Mercedes talks fall short

Carlos Sainz admitted it “hurt at the time” to not land a drive with a front-running team after it was confirmed he will be leaving Ferrari.

Red Bull and Mercedes opted to renew with Sergio Perez and sign rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli respectively, and while Sainz hopes in time to bring Williams back up the field alongside Alex Albon, he has now “come to peace” with his position for 2025 onwards.

Carlos Sainz ‘hurt at the time’ when front-running doors closed for F1 2025

Sainz became a free agent for a significant portion of the season when it was announced Lewis Hamilton would be heading to Ferrari next year, with the Spanish driver previously stating he held negotiations with “every team” at different times.

He eventually chose Williams as his next destination on an extended multi-year contract, with the Grove-based team looking to the F1 2026 regulations as a reset for a jump forward in competitiveness.

But with more immediately competitive seats having been available in the short-term, the four-time Grand Prix winner admitted he “couldn’t understand” being looked past, though he is now ready for his next step with Williams.

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When it was put to Sainz by Sky F1 that opportunities to drive for Red Bull and Mercedes saw the ‘doors close pretty quickly’ earlier this year, the 30-year-old admitted that was a blow to his “driver ego” at that point.

“I’ve definitely come to peace, and I am 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,” Sainz said.

“It hurt at the time, we all have egos, and 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, but at the same time, it creates even more of a challenge in me, and 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, and that actually makes me super excited.

“I 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’.

“I cannot wait to go there and, together with them, build something good.”

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