Opinion

Who slept best last night: Carlos Sainz

Sainz finished third again – after a weekend that turned out to be one of the most challenging for his former team

You must have seen that clip from Las Vegas. Interviewed by Sky Sports ahead of the weekend, Carlos Sainz was asked about his view on John Elkann’s remark that his – Ferrari’s – drivers should “talk less” and focus on what they’re hired to do: drive the red cars as fast as they can.

“As a former Ferrari driver,” Ted Kravitz asked Sainz, “do Ferrari drivers need to be more careful saying things in public at the risk of upsetting people higher up the chain than in any position like in Williams, where you can be a bit more open with your criticisms?”

A small smile, eyes wide open.

“Ted, that is none of my business,” he laughed, before asking Kravitz in return whether he’d seen the meme with Kermit the frog and the cup of tea.

“That’s literally me right now.”

Watch: F1 Update: McLaren explains its strategy blunder in Qatar GP, Red Bull driver decision imminently

Sainz’s Qatar GP will probably go almost unnoticed amid the chaos of the title fight, and there are a lot of people up and down the pitlane who’d be happy to go to bed feeling they did their job. Those wearing Red Bull shirts would certainly be pleased with how Sunday in Doha unfolded – yet probably struggled to fall asleep because of all the adrenaline.

For the Spaniard in Williams colours, there’s no title in sight, and after his Baku podium he had almost nothing left to prove – but Qatar has only reinforced the impression he’s built in recent months. Even without a top car, Sainz is capable of delivering top performances.

Perhaps no one really knows how tough last year was for him. Getting that call in January that he would lose his Ferrari drive must have been devastating.

He handled it as professionally as he possibly could. Not a single word of complaint, not a hint of feeling betrayed by his bosses. No attempts to become difficult or uncooperative. Instead, interviews about how he understood he was making way not just for anyone but for a seven-time world champion.

But that wasn’t the only thing he had to deal with. He gradually discovered that not only did Ferrari not want him for 2025, but none of the other top teams did either. Mercedes had already committed to Andrea Kimi Antonelli (and, boy, has he shown in recent races that it wasn’t the wrong decision!?), and Red Bull seemed only concerned about not upsetting Max Verstappen (well, perhaps not the worst idea either, right?).

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

So, Sainz had to accept that his choice was between what looked like bad options. Audi was an attractive name but promised nothing but years of struggle before becoming competitive. Alpine was as much of a mess as it is today. And Williams, with its infrastructure from last century.

The Qatar podium isn’t even needed to confirm anything – Sainz’s first season with Williams was solid enough without it to conclude he made the right call. He himself confirmed it ahead of the weekend, saying that had he known then what he knows now, he would have signed much earlier instead of playing the role of a cork in the bottle in last year’s silly season, holding up the whole market.

It feels like a proper showing. Not that he needs or wants to prove anything to his former team – but he’s showing what kind of driver they let go. Yes, he never said it on the record, but he can be forgiven for not understanding Ferrari’s logic. Replacing him with Lewis Hamilton, who is probably long past his prime?

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Giving up on a driver arguably in his best years for someone about to turn 40? Yes, Hamilton may be the greatest of all time, but ‘greatness’ doesn’t bring points or podiums.

Yes, it’s fair to say Lewis needs time, he’s still adapting to his new team after so many years with Mercedes. But the irony is that the man he replaced, who also went through an adaptation period, is now firing on all cylinders.

Scoring one podium in his first year against none for Hamilton was already a strong statement. Scoring a second – especially after his Austin sprint and his qualifying in Vegas – only highlights how different the trajectories of their seasons have become.

Sainz’s podium came after a perfectly executed race, with almost no luck involved. Just a couple of mistakes from rivals – and he was there to punish and capitalise. It was as controlled as Baku. Both his Williams podiums came not thanks to freak circumstances, and that’s what makes them even more valuable.

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

He may say it’s none of his business, but he can’t ignore what’s happening at Ferrari either. Because it’s not only Williams’ progress that would have pushed Sainz to sign sooner had he been aware of it – if you had told him a year ago what state the Scuderia would be in now, he wouldn’t feel that sorry about losing his Ferrari seat, either.

Qatar was perhaps Ferrari’s lowest point this season in terms of pure performance – and Hamilton never looked as far away as this from getting on top of the red car. And it’s him, not Sainz, who is now wondering whether he made the right career choice, perhaps.

And Sainz? Of course, none of this guarantees things will continue along the same trajectory. Ferrari is still one of F1’s top teams with fantastic infrastructure, and next year may look very different. But the Spaniard has every reason to look forward to his future with Williams, with no regrets about the past.

Do you know that meme with the little girl standing in front of the burning house?

That’s literally him right now.