Current Ferrari and future Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz suggested he would feel hurt if Ferrari fought for the Drivers' title in 2025.
Carlos Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021 and has been with the Italian team for four seasons now (including 2024). However, his journey with Scuderia comes to an end at the end of this season.
Throughout his time with the team from Maranello, Sainz never had the fastest car over the course of a full season. Consequently, he and his teammate Charles Leclerc only scored a few occasional victories but never won the Championship.
In 2024, Ferrari is perhaps the closest it has been in Sainz's time to winning the Constructors' Championship. With three race weekends to go, the F1 team stands only 36 points behind McLaren.
While the 30-year-old driver would love to leave the Italian team on a high note, he admits it would hurt him if he saw Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc fighting for the Drivers' title next year, which is something he hasn't had a chance to do. Sainz told Sky Sports:
"I am a driver who loves getting involved in the development stuff, living at Maranello to improve the team."
"When I arrived at Ferrari in 2021 my target was to win a championship. We might do it this year in the constructors'. It would hurt more if, next year, they are fighting for the drivers' title."
The Spaniard has, of course, been a huge part of moving Ferrari forward with his feedback, so if Ferrari managed to win a title next year, it would have also been thanks to his involvement and work with the team for the last four years. Sainz added:
"I will feel like I obviously had a bit of an influence in building this team to be a championship-fighting team, [then] to not be here next year. But you turn the page. I can't wait to be at Williams. It's just the way things have panned out."
The Spanish F1 driver still can get at least a partial reward for his effort if he and Ferrari win the Constructors Championship this year.
The upcoming race in Las Vegas should suit the team from Maranello, and if Sainz has a bit more fortune than compared to last year, he could be in the fight for the podium / victory.