'Scuderia behaving badly' - Carlos Sainz Sr breaks his silence following Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut

Following the team's decision to replace the Spaniard with Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz Sr. has spoken out about his son's departure from Ferrari at the end of last year. It was Ferrari's alluring offer to recruit the seven-time world champion that ended the Spaniard's four-year run in red, not performance problems.

Carlos Sainz Sr. noted and valued the unexpected elegance with which Sainz and the Italian team parted ways, despite the prospect of animosity.By the end of the 2023 Formula One season, Sainz Jr. was hoping for a contract renewal after a successful year in which he became the first driver not affiliated with Red Bull to win a race. Nevertheless, Ferrari grasped the opportunity to bring the F1 legend to Maranello when Hamilton made himself available.

El Cafelito spoke with Sainz Sr., a Dakar winner and legend in his own right in the rally world, who described the events that occurred. "I wouldn't describe it as the Scuderia behaving badly." "The circusmstances of the perfect storm have arisen. Ferrarri was happy with Carlos Sainz, but the possibility appeared because Hamilton himself produced it." Perhaps that process could have been clearer, but then it would have been leaked, and Ferrari did not want it to be," he explained. 

Williams signed Carlos Sainz 

Even though he was disappointed to lose his Ferrari position, Sainz Jr. accepted the decision and departed the team amicably. In order to facilitate a seamless transfer, Ferrari even broke Sainz's contract early, allowing him to join his new team, Williams, in Abu Dhabi for post-season testing. In saying goodbye to Sainz Jr., Ferrari went above and above with a gesture that Sainz Sr. called "unprecedented in the team's history." In an incredible farewell present, the father and son were invited to Ferrari's Fiorano test track for a special session during which they both drove a Formula 1 car. 

Sainz Jr. was given the F1-75, the car in which he had won his first Formula One race in the 2022 British Grand Prix. In addition, Sainz Sr. will never forget the sensation of driving a contemporary Formula 1 car with his son.