Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari has made the “obvious” decision to keep him out of the development for the Italian marque’s 2025 Formula 1 challenger.
Sainz’s time at the Scuderia is set to end at the culmination of the 2024 Formula 1 season with seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton coming in to replace him.
The 2025 season is the last opportunity for Ferrari to win amid the current Formula 1 rule cycle before the F1 regulations are torn up and re-written for 2026 and beyond.
With Sainz set to join an as-yet-unknown Ferrari rival next year, the Spaniard is comfortable that his current employer is keeping him out of discussions regarding next year’s scarlet red Formula 1 machine.
“It is obvious that they’re not going to put me in the meetings of next year’s car,” Sainz told the media last week at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
“If they do, they are probably not being very clever because they know I am going to be somewhere else.
“So I’m not attending the simulator sessions of the development of next year’s car, and I’m not attending the meetings of next year’s car, but I am attending every session of the simulator of this year’s car and this year’s circuits, and I’m attending every meeting of this year’s car and potential benefits or developments that might come to this year’s car.
“I’m happy like that because that’s how I think it should be, or what I would do if I was team principal or whatever.”
With Sainz phased out of Ferrari development talks amid parting ways with the team and fellow Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc, what, if any involvement has Hamilton had in shaping Formula 1 car development?
Leclerc revealed that he and Hamilton talk often, but ruled out there having been any discussions on a technical footing.
We speak quite often actually,” he said.
“But as I had already replied to that, we are not really speaking about what’s going on within our team.
“Because for now, I am fully focused on my season ahead with Ferrari and obviously the other seasons after that.
“And Lewis is focused on his last year with Mercedes and finishing on a high.”
Sainz’s 2025 Formula 1 destination is still not known as the Spaniard is taking time to review his options, of which there are many.
The three-time Formula 1 GP winner had reportedly been on the verge of signing for Williams, but still has suitors in Alpine and Sauber.
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