Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said he would be happy if Carlos Sainz returned to the team one day.
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has said he would welcome Carlos Sainz back to Maranello in future years, despite replacing him with Lewis Hamilton. In a statement in February, Ferrari announced that Hamilton would replace Sainz next season and did so with a short announcement that didn’t mention the Spanish driver.
The statement read: “Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will join the team in 2025 on a multi-year contract.”
Sainz expressed his surprise at leaving the team while negotiating a new deal with Scuderia for 2025 and beyond.
In an interview with Sky F1, Sainz said, “I was in the middle of talks with Ferrari, everything seemed to be moving in the right direction, and suddenly this news reached me.”
“This was a completely unexpected situation and a major turning point for the direction of my career.”
Despite this sudden departure, Sainz remained determined in his final year at Ferrari, securing five podiums and a victory at the Australian Grand Prix. With eight races left in the season, Vasseur praised the driver, who is set to move to Williams, and expressed openness to Sainz returning to Ferrari in the future.
Vasseur said, “Yes, he could definitely come back.”
“To be honest, I have great respect for Carlos and what he has done for Ferrari. As you know, this decision was not an easy one.”
“He’s doing a very good job. He managed to stay professional under tough circumstances.”
“I can clearly see what he brought to the team, what he contributed to the team last year, and when we hit a tough momentum in the summer, he was part of the recovery.”
“I’m very happy to have had Carlos, and I will maintain a very good relationship with him,” he said.
Vasseur had previously praised Sainz’s work ethic and determination. Sainz made a remarkable comeback by winning the Australian Grand Prix just 16 days after having appendix surgery.
Vasseur said, “This winter, we decided to push until the last race of the season together.”
“And he did a great job. He was there in Bahrain, pushing the team, and of course, it was a tough weekend in Jeddah for both Carlos and the team.”
“But he bounced back very quickly. You must remember, two weeks earlier, he was in the hospital. I think even on Friday, he wasn’t 100% sure he could race.”
“After a few laps, he picked up the pace, and he was part of that success. Because if you want to perform, you can’t give up a single lap in free practice.”
“Of course, it’s incredible. If you look at where he came from, no one expected such a result.”
