“It took a lot of space on my mind”: Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz discusses the impact of deciding F1 future pre-summer break

Carlos Sainz was relieved to decide on the 2025 drive before summer break, which has allowed him to divert his focus to his last ten races with Ferrari. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda ahead of the 2024 Dutch GP, the Spanish driver felt that the decisions concerning his future took up a lot of his mental energy.

With Lewis Hamilton signing for Ferrari as early as January, Carlos Sainz became a free agent on the market. Winning a race in Australia after his appendicitis surgery, he quickly became the hot property of the 2025 driver market with plenty of teams wooing him with lucrative offers.

However, the time making the decision took more than half of the season, with the questions concerning his future becoming a repetitive theme of a media Thursday in the paddock. The 29-year-old eventually announced his move to the Williams F1 team, which had been pursuing him since the Abu Dhabi GP last year.

Although Mercedes and Red Bull were his main options, Carlos Sainz was unable to strike a bargain he desired with them. With both the top teams having their priorities and options, a one-year deal or short-term option was the maximum they could offer. Therefore mid-field teams like Audi, Alpine, and Williams were being considered more seriously, as a long-term project.

James Vowles had openly expressed that Carlos Sainz was their primary option and they were ready to be patient with him. However, the 29-year-old took the call that not only paid off their relentless pursuit but was also a relief for him. The three-time Grand Prix winner felt that the decision on his future would allow him to focus on his final ten aces with Ferrari. He also admitted being relieved not to answer more questions about his future or diffuse the speculation surrounding it.

Carlos Sainz felt the speculation and decision-making around his future took seven months in a competitive and high-pressure environment at Ferrari. While there was frustration across the grid amid teams and drivers who were waiting or dependent on a decision from him, he felt that it was a decision that needed time.

Asked by Sportskeeda if deciding on his future before the summer break was relieving and the impact the discussions had on his race weekends, Carlos Sainz said:

“I think so. It's been, as I said before, it is not easy to both compete at a high level as a Ferrari driver and at the same time having to take such an important decision on your future. It did take a lot of space on my mind and I think I was always open and honest with you that I was, I wouldn't use the word struggling because I never really struggled or my results show that I didn’t, wasn't really struggling. But It for sure took me, took energy out of my head and took mental energy."

"And I remember going into the summer break in August once I took a decision with a bit of a relief feeling and saying, okay, now I have to switch off a bit, recharge my batteries and come back for the next 10 races, where my only focus is going to be delivering and performing 10 races for Ferrari, without having to decide on my future. And there will be plenty of time also to think about Williams and to talk about Williams after this race that I hope you don't keep asking me in the next nine races. Because the decision is taken and then we will have all the winter also to talk about the future.”

Explaining his decision and the toll it took during the season, Carlos Sainz explained:

“Yeah, well, first of all, I think it was important for me to take the decision before the summer break. It's been a very tough. Let’s say, seven months of my career, where I had to deal with everything that happened in January in combination with obviously having to perform and deliver as a Ferrari driver in a high pressure, high tension environment. In Ferrari, in combination with having to decide my future, at the same time that you're talking to so many other teams and analyzing and putting everything on the table at the same time that you're competing. And that's why I put myself the target to take the decision before the break. And when I took the decision, I wanted to be 100 % convinced. That's why I gave myself plenty of time, as you guys could see.”

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Carlos Sainz claims Williams' decision for 2025 was made in Belgium GP weekend

Carlos Sainz claims that the stability of the Williams F1 team project and the faith in its investors were two of the factors that drove his decision. He felt along with the team and its investors, the pool of people in the team and culture lured him to the Grove-based team.

The outgoing Ferrari driver claimed that the decision to move to Williams was taken around the Belgian GP. He believes that the decision was very similar to the one taken when he believed in McLaren and Ferrari. While options like Audi and Alpine were going through extensive operational changes, Williams was the more stable option.

With new investors Dorilton Capital making the difference, the project to aid the former multiple champions back to the front was an attractive prospect for the Spaniard.

Asked if stability was one of the reasons to chose Williams compared to the Audi F1 team and Alpine, Carlos Sainz said:

“For sure, stability, But also, I took the decision around the Spa week, just if you want to know if it interests you. So it was late. But I've always had the feeling during all those negotiations, I always kept Williams on the back of my head because I always had that good feeling with James and the investment group, Dorilton. And yeah for me, it was important people also. I've learned over the years in Formula One to trust in my feeling about people also."

"I remember when I left McLaren in 2020, I felt like I had the feeling that team was moving forward and was gonna be successful in the future, having spent time working with Zak Brown and Stella. When I left McLaren, I said, they might not be winning next year or the following but this team is this team with these people are going to be winning soon. And four years later they're performing at an incredibly high level and if I had that feeling that time and now I have this feeling about them. People and the culture in Williams I need to trust that feeling and this is what I what I committed to.”

Explaining the move to Williams and elaborating on the decision, Carlos Sainz said:

“I took that decision because Williams is the team that from the beginning I had very good feelings and very good conversations with. I feel like there are a team very committed to Formula One with a very strong project in the future, very strong leadership and the will to bring back a historic Formula One team with the pedigree that Williams has back to the front is something that motivates me and it motivated me when I went to McLaren, when I went to Ferrari."

Apart from his debut team Toro Rosso, Carlos Sainz has won a race and clinched podiums with both McLaren and Ferrari. After leaving the Red Bull Racing camp, his only dull year was at Renault F1 team where he was outperformed by Nico Hulkenberg. However, at the Red Bull junior team, the future Williams driver had beaten the reigning champion Max Verstappen. Having taken his decision after all the speculation, he will pair alongside another former Red Bull driver Alex Albon.

Although the Thai-born driver has been with the Grove-based squad for a long, the Spanish driver’s arrival could change the entire team dynamic. Vowles wooed Carlos Sainz with the vision and potential of building a team around him. Williams was not the foremost option for the Spaniard, but the decision was a gamble that he hopes pays off in the same fashion as it did with McLaren and Ferrari.