Has Ferrari really gone ‘downhill’ since Sainz left? Villenueve thinks so

Jacques Villeneuve has said Carlos Sainz has long had the ability to bring teams forward, and believes Ferrari has gone “downhill” in recent races.

While the 1997 World Champion thinks the Scuderia could yet hit the ground running after the sport’s 2026 regulation changes, the Canadian explained how Sainz, who left the team at the end of 2024, “makes the whole team go better” wherever he has been.

Carlos Sainz ‘makes the whole team go better’ in Villeneuve verdict

Sainz’s adaptability and quality of feedback were two of the qualities initially highlighted by James Vowles when he signed him for Williams on a multi-year deal, also pointing out the 31-year-old’s track record in helping push teams forward, which is his aim once again at Williams.

While the Spanish driver largely struggled to match Alex Albon in the early stages of the season, Sainz has seen an upturn in form in recent races, delighting in scoring his first podium as a Williams driver in Azerbaijan.

In explaining what Sainz brings to a team, Villeneuve added that the trend of teams going “downhill” after his departure has carried on with Ferrari.

Villeneuve said of Sainz to a betting platform: “He’s always been a very mature, strong driver. He’s often been criticised for lack of pace which is not the case.

“If you look at his career, when he’s joined a new team, it has taken him a while, half a season maybe, to get up to speed. He works at it. But in that period, he makes the whole team go better.

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“That’s what happened in every team he’s joined. And at some point, he’s often had a teammate that maybe was just a few hundredths quicker. But that teammate was quicker also thanks to the work that Sainz was doing.

“But then Sainz became quicker than his teammate. Even when you look at Leclerc, Leclerc wasn’t ahead of Sainz at Ferrari like a lot of people want to think. And every time he left a team, that team went downhill. Every time. And it’s the same with Ferrari now.”

Villeneuve explained that there could yet be a “perfect beginning” for Ferrari in the sport’s new era next season, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc able to hit the ground running together for the Prancing Horse.

However, in the present day, while Sainz and Williams have taken a step forward together, the Canadian has seen the Scuderia slide backwards since the summer break.

“When [Fred] Vasseur got re-signed, that took some of the stress away from the team, because at least they had some continuity,” he added.

“But since then, the team has been going downhill. Because Monza was supposed to be the perfect weekend for Ferrari, and it wasn’t. And in the past, Baku has been a great track for Leclerc at least, and it’s been one of their worst weekends this year. So that’s two very bad weekends in a row since the summer break.”

Ferrari heads into the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend third in the Constructors’ Championship, four points behind second-placed Mercedes.

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