The highlight of the 2025 System 1 season will undoubtedly be on Lewis Hamilton as he embarks on his first 12 months with Ferrari, marking a historic chapter in his illustrious profession. After spending 17 seasons with McLaren and Mercedes, Hamilton now joins probably the most iconic crew in F1 historical past, chasing a record-breaking eighth world championship. Ferrari, although a powerhouse within the sport, has not seen a driver declare the championship since 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen narrowly edged Hamilton within the remaining race of the season.
The Scuderia got here agonizingly near successful the title once more in 2008, just for Hamilton’s dramatic overtake on Timo Glock within the closing laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix to disclaim Felipe Massa his first championship. Since then, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc have come shut, with Alonso ending second within the standings twice and Leclerc reaching the identical feat in 2022, however falling far behind Max Verstappen within the factors.
Nonetheless, 2025 could possibly be the 12 months Ferrari lastly ends its championship drought. Sadly for Carlos Sainz, he received’t have the chance to guide the cost. In a troublesome resolution, crew principal Frederic Vasseur selected to switch Carlos Sainz with the British driver for the brand new season, leaving the Spanish driver to race for Williams as an alternative.
Autosport journalist and F1 knowledgeable Roberto Chinchero has make clear the emotional challenges confronted by Carlos Sainz in his exit from Ferrari, revealing that the dearth of other F1 presents proved to be even more durable for the 30-year-old than shedding his seat to Hamilton.
Roberto Chinchero mentioned Carlos Sainz’s exit from the Maranello crew, explaining that whereas not everybody understood why the crew let Carlos Sainz go final 12 months, the driving force himself accepted that his substitute wouldn’t be simply any driver. Based on the Italian journalist, it was not the truth that Lewis Hamilton could be taking his seat that was most troublesome for Carlos Sainz to simply accept, however relatively that three different prime groups had vacancies and didn’t strategy him. Chinchero additionally famous that, over time, even the Italian media had come to acknowledge that Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari was one thing really exceptional. He added that whereas the long run could be decided by efficiency on observe, the preliminary a part of the story—with out the noise of the engines—had been flawless.
Each Mercedes and Pink Bull have made important modifications to their driver line-ups for the 2025 System 1 season, whereas McLaren has remained constant by preserving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of their seats. In distinction, Carlos Sainz has launched into a brand new chapter of his profession with Williams, a crew presently positioned decrease within the standings than he would have hoped.
Why Did Carlos Sainz Be a part of Williams in 2025?
The announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari in February 2024 created a ripple impact all through the paddock, and Sainz’s availability turned broadly identified effectively earlier than the driving force market frenzy, also called “foolish season,” really started. With a number of high-profile drivers getting into the market on the finish of the 2024 season, the Spaniard was linked to just about each prime crew.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ crew principal, confirmed that Sainz was one in all their choices earlier than they finally determined to advertise Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the senior crew. In the meantime, Audi expressed a robust need to signal the Spanish driver, however the present struggles confronted by Sauber made it unclear if the crew could possibly be aggressive within the close to future. Pink Bull, alternatively, didn’t actively pursue Carlos Sainz, doubtlessly as a result of strained relationship between his father and Max Verstappen’s camp.
After contemplating varied choices, Carlos Sainz selected to signal with Williams, a call that was welcomed by crew principal James Vowles, who was desirous to safe the deal. Whereas Williams might not be able to compete for championships within the fast future, Sainz might be seeking to assist the crew climb the standings over the approaching seasons. For the Grove-based crew, will probably be important to reveal to Sainz that, though a title problem might not be on the playing cards for now, he has joined an bold and upward-bound crew.