Carlos Sainz hopes he can challenge for a Formula 1 title beyond his stint with Ferrari after the “surprise” news that Lewis Hamilton will replace him next year.
Ferrari announced this month that it has signed Hamilton on a multi-year deal from 2025 to partner Charles Leclerc, leaving Sainz without a seat beyond this season.
The Spaniard, who joined the Maranello-based squad back in 2021, had expressed that he could envisage spending the remainder of his F1 career with Ferrari.
Although Sainz admits that the revelation Ferrari was in negotiations with Hamilton came as a shock, he reveals how he had been prepared for the eventual confirmation.
“I think obviously a bit of a surprise like everyone in the Formula 1 world with the news,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week at the launch of the SF-24. “I think everyone was surprised in a way with what happened.
“From my side, you can obviously understand that I got to know the news a bit earlier than anyone else, but it’s true then I said some weeks to reflect, some weeks to prepare, and some weeks to also get ready for the car launch, for the first race of the season, so it gives you a bit of time to digest it, to take your own conclusions, and to focus on the 2024 season that is ahead.
“But the fact that it was a bit of a surprise to the whole Formula 1 world is no news, and it was obviously also for me.”
With Hamilton set to end his long-serving association with Mercedes, Sainz has been tipped as a credible option to replace the seven-time champion at the German marque.
Even before his impending Ferrari exit was communicated, Sainz had been repeatedly linked with the Sauber-owned squad that will transition into a works Audi entry from 2026.
When asked if he had an inkling of his next destination in F1, Sainz replied: “My next team I don’t know yet, and I have a bit of time now to decide where that will happen.
“As I said before, there’s plenty of options out there and it’s time to take an important decision in the next few months.”
Sainz had revealed towards the end of last year that he wanted to avoid his future becoming a distraction once racing began.
However, Sainz concedes that the news that he won’t remain with Ferrari has forced him to adapt those plans ahead of deciding upon his next career move in the coming months.
The ex-Red Bull prospect also believes his choice will be a defining one for his ambitions ahead of F1’s substantial chassis and engine regulation overhaul set for 2026.
“As much as I said I wanted to get my future sorted before the first race, now the scenario has changed quite a bit as you can imagine,” he explained.
“It is going to be probably a longer process ahead of me.
“Probably my most important three or four years of my career where I want to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time, I want to make sure I pick the right next destination for me so I want to take my time to think about it, to listen to all the options, have a look at all the options.
“Then I can just feel calm that when I take the decision I have given myself enough time with enough information.
“Having said that, it is impossible to separate one thing from the other. I have a good management team that also will take care of that so my focus always will be Bahrain this year and I’m going to start the year as strong as I can, putting all my effort into being quick straight from the go. The other thing will sort itself out as time goes by.”
Following a turbulent season last time out, Ferrari has launched a revamped car concept with its SF-24 charger as it endeavours to provide a sustained challenge to Red Bull.
But Sainz is hopeful that his last campaign with Ferrari won’t mark his final chance to become an F1 champion, citing that more opportunities will emerge elsewhere.
“I hope it’s not my last chance to go for a title, and obviously with so many options open for 2025 in the market, I will also look for the most interesting ones in that sense,” he said.
“So it’s an important year for me because I’m still wearing red and I still have the target of becoming champion in Ferrari and I still have one more chance.
“But my ultimate target is to become World Champion in general. Who I achieve it with, obviously ideally with Ferrari this year, but if not then there will be other opportunities and other chances hopefully in the future.
“I feel ready for whatever comes, I prepared myself better than ever this season and I just want to get started and focus on 2024.”
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