Carlos Sainz has conceded that not securing a seat with another top Formula 1 team in 2025 once it was announced that he would be departing Ferrari “hurt” his ego.
Sainz was angling to land an extension to his Ferrari deal until the bombshell news that Lewis Hamilton would replace him next term arrived before the season began.
The Spaniard was heralded as the best bet to take the Mercedes drive Hamilton will vacate, but the German marque overlooked him to promote Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Meanwhile, Red Bull chose to retain Sergio Perez’s services alongside Max Verstappen, despite talks occurring with the Sainz camp over a possible return to its ranks.
Sainz, who has since signed a multi-term contract with Williams, has admitted that it was hard to come to terms with not being considered for those seats at the time.
“I’ve definitely come to peace, and I am a true believer that if I’m not going there, it’s because life just doesn’t want me to be there,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1.
“There’s something else coming after that, that will actually turn out to be good.
“It hurt at the time, we all have egos, and I have a driver ego, and I couldn’t understand it at the time.”
Sainz ‘cannot understand’ certain team decisions
Sainz expressed that he is still at a loss to decipher certain decisions that teams made amid Perez’s recurring woes seeing Red Bull drop to third in the championship.
“I still personally cannot understand certain choices that people have done,” he continued.
“But at the same time, it creates even more of a challenge in me, and it even makes me more excited for Williams.”
Sainz explains Williams move
Sainz was in high demand across sides lower down the grid as Alpine, the Audi-owned Sauber squad and Williams all entered the race to obtain his coveted signature.
The four-time F1 race winner has revealed his eventual decision to choose Williams came down to wanting to reciprocate the commitment the team had made to him.
“Williams is the one that has invested in me, that have backed me up from the beginning, the ones that came to me a full year ago, and that actually makes me super excited,” he added.
“I said, ‘I want to give to these guys what they’ve given to me. Give back to them this trust and this belief in me’.
“I cannot wait to go there and, together with them, build something good.”
READ MORE – Red Bull denies sounding out possible Carlos Sainz 2025 F1 deal
