Despite missing out on a fifth career win, Carlos Sainz ends his time at Scuderia Ferrari on a high. The Spaniard started the 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP from P3 behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, he gained a position in the opening lap of the race after a collision between Piastri and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. Sainz held on to P2 throughout the Abu Dhabi GP, keeping clear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Mercedes’ George Russell. However, despite his best efforts, the Spaniard could not catch up to race leader Lando Norris. Norris would ultimately win the race, finishing 5.832 seconds ahead of his former teammate. Norris’ victory secured McLaren the 2024 World Constructors’ Championship (WCC), despite Ferrari taking more points from the race.
P2 finish in Abu Dhabi GP a “bittersweet” end to 2024 championship
In his post-race race interview, Sainz described the outcome of the Abu Dhabi GP as “bittersweet”.
“Obviously a bit of a bittersweet feeling in the end.”
He stated that while he had given the race “everything,” he could not match Norris’ pace.
“P2, I think, was the maximum we could do today, given the pace of Lando in the McLaren.
“Yeah, I gave it everything, especially the first stint. It looked like we could hang on to them. Then as soon as we put the Hard tyres, they just seemed to be that one- or two-tenths quicker per lap, like we’ve seen all weekend. And they just got a bit out of reach.”
Sainz, a former McLaren driver, congratulated the Woking-based team for the championship victory and “incredible” performance during the 2024 season. However, he also stated that he was proud of Ferrari’s championship efforts, especially as 2024 had been “a tough year” for the team.
“But yeah, congratulations, first of all, to McLaren. They deserve this championship. They’ve been rock solid in the last two-thirds of the championship, and they’ve been incredible.
“From our side. I think we can be proud of the effort and the championship we put together. It’s been a tough year, but definitely a year where we need to be proud of and, yeah, hopefully be back here soon.”
First laps of second stint in Abu Dhabi GP were “a very tricky thing to handle” – Sainz
Sainz was questioned further on his second stint of the Abu Dhabi GP race after the hard compound tyres had been put onto his SF-24. The Ferrari driver described the opening laps as “tricky”, noting that he had struggled to determine how much to push his tyres after he failed to undercut Norris. He explained that he had had to balance preserving his tyres with maintaining sufficient race pace.
“It was a very tricky thing to handle because obviously, I did a very fast out lap to try and get within DRS or within range of trying to overtake Lando after the pit stop. Also, in case they had a half a second to a second slower pit stop that could put us within reach. And that’s why we sent the undercut.
“Then after he came out in front of me, you go through this thought process of do I push like hell now to get within DRS, but Lando can also push and keep me out of the DRS.
“And that means I’m going to destroy my tyres and not have a chance at the end of the race of putting him under pressure. Or I save my tyres to try and put them under pressure at the end like I did in the first stint.
“And so it’s very difficult thing to judge with these tyres to use the first three laps to extract the peak of the tyre or to save that to the end of the race.
Sainz believes that race “slipped away” from Ferrari on the hard tyres
However, he added that, ultimately, his decision had not mattered as Norris’ MCL38 had been the stronger car during the Abu Dhabi GP weekend.
“I don’t think it would have mattered. I think McLaren and Lando today, with a Hard tyre, they were just one- or two-tenths quicker. And he could have used that pace whenever he wanted to keep me at bay, you know.
“Even though on the Medium I really strongly believed we had a chance, little by little with the Hard, it just seemed like it was getting tougher and tougher. And that’s where I think the weakness of our car started to also appear and the strengths of the McLaren started to appear again. And it slipped away from us a bit.”
“Mixed feelings” for Carlos Sainz despite Abu Dhabi GP podium finish
Despite finishing P2 in the Abu Dhabi GP, Sainz admitted that the race had left him with “mixed feelings.” He explained that the Maranello-based team had gone into the weekend aiming to win the Constructor’s Championship title, and were obviously, disappointed to have failed to do so.
“Yeah, obviously a bit of mixed feelings, I’m not going to lie.
“I think we all came into this race trying to win the Constructors’ Championship and ultimately we didn’t manage to do it.”
Ferrari did “everything we could” but Norris “didn’t put a foot wrong” — Sainz
However, he acknowledged that McLaren had simply been the better team. While Sainz claimed that both he and his teammate, Charles Leclerc had “given absolutely everything” to take the championship, he admitted that it had not been enough.
“McLaren have put together a very strong weekend. Lando hasn’t put a foot wrong all race and all weekend. And in the end, congratulations to them because they deserve it.
“On my side, I tried to do everything I could to keep within reach of McLaren. Before the race, we knew that McLaren might have one or two-tenths of pace on us and that was enough, you know, to pull a bit of a gap before the pit stops or during the race to have a bit of a buffer and not to feel too much pressure.
“I think I had a very strong first stint, managed to keep them within reach and within pressure margins, especially when I was told Charles was coming in a good comeback. Oscar had obviously that incident in lap one, I thought, we might have a bit of a chance, but then little by little it started to fade.
“When we put on the Hard tyres, like we’ve seen in many cases this year, the McLaren upped the pace a bit, turn up the pace a bit, and they started pulling away two-, three-tenths per lap, and that was enough for them to have that safety margin and bring it home.
“And from our side, I think we did everything we could. Both Charles and I have given absolutely everything this weekend.”
“I did the best I could” — Sainz
He added that the race had not been an easy one for him, but stated that he had done what he could to maximise his performance.
“It hasn’t been an easy weekend for me, obviously, knowing it was the last one. But I did the best I could to stay focused and to do the maximum that the car could do today, I think.”
The Spaniard admitted that the weekend had been a “strange” one for him. He explained that he had felt emotional knowing that it was it last race with Ferrari and with the people who had made up his team over the years. He said that he had had to remind himself to focus on the race as much as possible, and to “give the absolute maximum” for the team.
“Strange. A bit emotional, I’m not going to lie.
“Probably, I would say it was more emotional the last time that I jumped in the car, in the grid. I knew that was obviously going to be my last race with a group of people that I’ve enjoyed these last four years. The last time that I would jump in a Ferrari car, probably, and I was just feeling emotional.
“I tried to remind myself to try and enjoy the race as much as possible and to give the absolute maximum for this team. Jumping out of the car, I already had the bittersweet feeling…”
Sainz preferred to keep emotions to himself during Abu Dhabi GP weekend
When asked if had been hiding his emotions from the public, given his apparently nonchalant attitude towards the Abu Dhabi GP race, Sainz indicated that it was a private matter that he would not discuss in great detail.
“Maybe I already have. And you just don’t know. And you haven’t seen it. Maybe it was in the helmet, maybe it was in the in the 10 minutes prior to a race when I was in the car, maybe it was in the in-lap. Yeah. Maybe you’ll never know.
“I can just tell you that I did get emotional at some point today. I’m not going to tell you exactly when or how. It’s a feeling that I save for myself and for my team.
“And yeah, maybe it’s all a bit of acting, and I’m acting like I’m not emotional at all. And I’ve learned from Brad Pitt that is here this weekend. I don’t know. I tell you, I’ve been emotional.”
However, he stated that he had cared more about his competitiveness, and had prioritised his race performance over any public display of his emotions.
“It’s just up until today, there was too much of a job to do and too much of a thing to fight for.
“So your brain doesn’t allow you to get emotional because you care more about winning and giving the team a Constructors’ Championship than your emotions itself. Let’s say, your competitiveness takes over.
“But today there were moments that I got emotional and luckily you guys didn’t get to see it.”
Sainz “very proud of time” as Ferrari driver
The Ferrari driver stated that he was grateful to have been a part of Ferrari for four years, and thanked them for the opportunities that he had had with them.
“Yeah, obviously emotional on the in lap with my engineer talking to me on the radio, Yeah, at the same time, very grateful, you know, to be part of this amazing team for four years. I think I’ve had the opportunity to win my first races, do my first pole positions, my first podiums.
“Yeah, I feel obviously very proud of my time in Ferrari. Proud to have contributed these four years to bring in this team back to where it belongs, that is fighting for world championships.”
While he lamented missing out on a championship title in the 2024 season, he stated that he believed that Ferrari was “one of the favourites” for 2025.
“Unfortunately, like Charles said, we didn’t manage this year, but I have a feeling that Ferrari now is ready to fight for the world championship next year. And together with Charles, I honestly believe they have a very good chance, and they are, for me, one of the favourites for next year.”
Sainz showed “good strength and determination” despite mentally challenging 2024 season
He added that he was also proud of his own performance during the 2024 season, especially given the mental challenges associated with losing his seat. However, despite these challenges, he claimed that he had managed to show “good strength and determination” and had had a strong finish to his final season at Ferrari.
“From my side, I’m proud of the four years, but maybe more proud of this last year. I think this last year was a very tough year mentally and very challenging with the news at the beginning of the year to keep the motivation up, to keep the determination, to keep pushing through the whole year with a 24-race calendar and not letting myself get too deflated at times.
“I think it’s been a big challenge that I think I managed to respond with good strength and determination to finish the year strongly and to finish the year with a few podiums, with a win in Mexico and helping the team to dream about the Constructors’ title.
“We’ve seen that it was not easy for any other driver that was leaving a team to keep that focus and that motivation up through the whole year. And I managed to do that. And that’s what makes me feel good about this year and my lasting of this season.”
Sainz turning focus to Williams ahead of post-season Abu Dhabi test
Despite his fond thoughts of his time at Ferrari, Sainz admitted that he did not think that it would be difficult for him to move on to the next chapter of his career.
“Being very honest with you, I don’t think so. I think, I’m not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team and trying to, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, remember how this feels.”
Sainz’s competitive mind looking forward to post-season test with Williams
He explained that had already begun to turn his focus towards his time at Williams racing, the team that he will race with from 2025. While he reiterated that he had tried to enjoy the Abu Dhabi GP weekend with his current team, Ferrari, he admitted that his “competitive mind” was already looking toward his post-season test with Williams, and his future with them.
“Because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good? Because I know probably what I’m going to find tomorrow and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car.
“So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead.
“I’ve proven to myself and to everyone that I can be fighting for race wins and for podiums. If I have the right car and my target is from next year onwards, focus together with Williams to get back to where we belong together.
“I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me. Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red. We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”
“It’s impossible to predict the future” — Sainz on Williams competing for podium finishes
When asked if he saw himself being able to fight for podium positions while at Williams, Sainz stated that it was impossible to know.
“Yeah, that is a question that I cannot answer. It’s impossible to predict the future, impossible to know how long it’s going to take me and Williams to be back fighting for podium positions.”
He explained that Williams’ team principal James Vowels, had already warned that 2025 would be a difficult year for the team. However, Sainz claimed that the Grove-based Williams Racing, was focusing on the 2026 season, where the implementation of new regulations would require new innovation from all teams.
“I think James said it the other day and calmed everyone’s expectations, that next year is going to be a tough year and a learning year before we prepare for the change of regulations in ‘26, where I believe the team is investing and the team is preparing to maximise that chance.”
Sainz “as determined as ever” to return Williams to former glory
While Sainz could not predict his new team’s performance in the upcoming seasons, he stated that he was “as determined as ever” to return Williams to its former glory. He explained that he believed that he was capable of fighting for wins, and noted that Williams’ historical prowress showed that the team was also capable of similar success.
“What I can tell you is that I’m as determined as ever to help that team to be back where it belongs. I personally feel like I belong to be fighting for wins, podiums and top fives in Formula 1. I think I’ve proven it these last four years as a driver [and] I think I belong to that.
“But Williams cannot forget that Williams also belongs to fighting for these top five and podium places. And together with the determination and the strength that I think we’re going to show together, the target is to get Williams and myself fighting for those positions in the near future, in the nearest future.”
Sainz “looking forward” to returning Williams to the top
While Sainz admitted that he did not know how long it would take before Williams improved their performance, he reiterated his motivation towards helping them achieve their competitive objectives.
“How long that’s going to take, I cannot tell you. But as I said before, I don’t think you guys understand and expect how motivated and how much I’m actually looking forward to that challenge.
“I know that’s one of my qualities, to help a team to perform better and to know which directions to follow. And that actually motivates me, having a full team behind Alex and me pushing all in the same direction to make a historic team like Williams competitive again is. It’s a challenge that yeah it’s tough to explain but some people don’t understand how much I’m actually looking forward to it.”
