Despite Carlos Sainz’s departure from Ferrari, team boss Fred Vasseur hasn’t ruled out a return to the Scuderia for the Spaniard at some point down the road.
With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello in 2025, Sainz was forced to make way for the seven-time world champion.
Yet Vasseur insists the relationship between Ferrari and Sainz remains strong, while the Frenchman has expressed his admiration for his former driver’s professionalism during this year’s campaign given the challenging circumstances.
Could there be an opportunity for the two parties to reunite in the future?
“Of course. We have already talked a couple of times about this,” Vasseur told DAZN. “This is a very small world. There are only 10 teams and only six or seven top drivers.
“You never know what is going to happen in the future, but most of us – both Carlos on his side and us on our side – have to focus on our projects.
“We don’t know what will happen in 2027, 2028, 2029…”
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Sainz’s performance with Ferrari, including nine podiums and two victories in 2024, showcased his skill and value to the team.
While Ferrari fell short in the Constructors' Championship, losing out to McLaren by just 14 points, Sainz’s contributions were instrumental in their recovery, and his dedication did not go unnoticed by Vasseur
"I asked everybody, at least on track, to be focused on 2024 until the end and I asked the same to Carlos beginning of the season and I think we did very well and he did very well," he added said.
“He was amazing all the season even when he was discussing with other teams that he stayed very professional, very dedicated and he did a brilliant job.”
©Ferrari
While Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has generated a lot of excitement, many in the F1 paddock were baffled by Ferrari’s decision to discard Sainz, and that sentiment only grew stronger over the course of the year thanks to the Spaniard’s strong results.
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan was among those taken aback by the Scuderia’s choice, as he questioned whether the wisdom of Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
“Who in their right mind [would replace him]? John Elkann must have rocks in his head to have made that decision,” commented Jordan on the latest Formula for Success podcast.
“I’m particularly close to his father, Carlos Sr, and when I spoke to him to say what a great job he’d done, Carlos Sr was in tears.
“Carlos himself was in tears. He still doesn’t quite understand why he was let go. And to be quite honest, neither do I.”
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