Ferrari legend critical of ‘uncomfortable and undeserved situation’ for Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz has been dropped by Ferrari to make room for Lewis Hamilton.
Dropped by Ferrari to make room for Lewis Hamilton, Jean Alesi believes Carlos Sainz has been placed in an “uncomfortable and undeserved situation”.
With 2024 set to be the final season on his Ferrari contract, Sainz spoke last year about wanting a new multi-year deal with the team, “not” just two seasons.
Instead, he’s been given the boot.
Carlos Sainz has shown ‘results, competitiveness, and discipline, strong and fair’
As news broke that Hamilton would be Charles Leclerc’s team-mate in 2025 having signed a multi-year contract, there wasn’t even a mention of the ousted Sainz in the Ferrari press release.
He put out a brief statement of his own on social media, saying: “Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024.
“We still have a long season ahead of us, and like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world.
“News about my future will be announced in due course.”
Former Ferrari race winner Alesi sympathises with the Spaniard, who stacked up convincingly alongside Leclerc across their three years as team-mates.
“The attitude and performance that Carlos Sainz has had in recent years has been more than positive, I would say even surprising,” Alesi said to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
“Results, competitiveness, and discipline, strong and fair.
“A true gentleman of motorsports who is currently in an uncomfortable and undeserved situation.”
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Days after his axing, it has been suggested Sainz has no fewer than four options for 2025, one of which could even be a straight swap with Hamilton.
The 29-year-old has been linked to the Briton’s Mercedes seat while Sauber is another strong possibility. Aston Martin and Williams are also on the list.
Alesi claims it’s only a matter of time before Sainz secures a new team for 2025.
“I am convinced that (Sainz) will find new opportunities to continue on the grid taking into account his talent and the prestige he has gained by racing alongside Leclerc,” he said.
As for next year’s Hamilton versus Leclerc battle at Ferrari, Alesi has tipped that to be “an electric adventure, which is renewed race by race, around which universal interest will be generated.”
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