F1: what if Ferrari recalled Carlos Sainz? Here's what he had to say

Advertising

Carlos Sainz is no longer a Scuderia FerrariBut his shadow still looms over Maranello. Transferred to Williams after the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's arrival in 2025, the Spaniard has surprised many since the start of the season. Formula 1... to the point of making him regret his departure? And above all, what would he think of returning to Maranello if Ferrari ever decided to recall him? His answer was surprising.

A stunning start to the season with Williams

At the Miami 2025 Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz made his mark by putting his Williams ahead of the two Ferraris in both qualifying and the race. A performance he himself described as unexpected:

Advertising

"I never thought I could beat the Ferraris in qualifying after six races and be on the same level as them in the race."

A surprise confirmed a few weeks later at Imola, where Sainz once again beat the red cars in qualifying.

"I didn't expect this at the start of the season," he declared with a beaming smile.
"It's true that I had great confidence in the Williams project given the figures they presented to me, but to be ahead of the Ferraris for the second race in a row? If you'd told me that before the start of the year, I'd have signed the Williams contract even sooner."

A few months ago, this scenario seemed improbable. Leaving Ferrari for Williams seemed like a step backwards... and now Sainz finds himself playing spoilsport in front of his former team.

Advertising

Ferrari in crisis, Williams on the rebound?

Admittedly, Miami's performance remains an exception at this stage of the season. But it reveals the SF-25's current difficulties. Sainz, for his part, still believes that Ferrari will turn things around:

"Ferrari will solve its problems eventually," he assures us.

But the Spaniard is now looking further ahead. Interviewed by "Corriere dello Sport", he confides:

Advertising

"When Ferrari calls, you answer, but I want to imagine something else: the rebirth of the glorious Williams of the past, and for me to be the driver who takes them back to the top. Right now, nothing motivates me anymore."

Sainz is not closing the door on a return to the Italian team.

"If I'm called back in the future, I'll be back."

But the Spanish driver's objective now seems clear: build a winning project at Williams, in the long term, especially for 2026 with the arrival of the new engines. A situation reminiscent of the British team's spectacular rebound in 2014.

Advertising