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Former F1 driver Marc Gene expressed his sympathy for Carlos Sainz losing his Ferrari seat, but acknowledged the allure of signing the seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. The Briton joined the prancing horse for his 19th season in Formula 1, ending a 12-year long tenure with Mercedes.
Ferrari confirmed Hamilton's signing ahead of the 2024 F1 season, leaving Sainz with a season's time to find a competitive seat that has him in contention with the 2026 regulations. After discussions with multiple teams, the Spaniard finally settled with Williams, where he currently drives alongside his race-winning team mate Alex Albon.
Speaking to Formula1.com, Ferrari ambassador, Marc Gene, shared his thoughts on Sainz's Ferrari exit and said,
“Of course, I was sorry for Carlos, because I’m Spanish and I have a very good relationship with him,” he said. “But when you have the opportunity to have Lewis in the team, and it was a love affair, a mutual love affair, you understand the decision that Ferrari took.”
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Carlos Sainz showed strong promise during the pre-season testing in Bahrain, where he narrowly edged out Hamilton to top the timesheets on the second day. However, his Williams debut at the Australian Grand Prix ended prematurely after crashing out on the first lap amid wet conditions. Hamilton managed to keep his Ferrari on track but dropped two spots below his starting position of eighth.
The following races continued to be a struggle for both drivers as they were consistently out-qualified by their team mates. But the Spaniard's recent outing at Jeddah marked a step forward, after he qualified ahead of both Hamilton and Albon.
Williams boss shares confidence Carlos Sainz-Alex Albon partnership
James Vowles recently opened up about feeling blessed to have Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as the Williams' pairing. The team principal praised the drivers' strong form leading into the Saudi Arabian GP.
On a recent episode of Vowles Verdict, a video series presented by Vowles in the Williams X account, he said,
“What you can see now is Carlos has very much made a step, and Alex all year long has shown that he is absolutely performing at the highest of levels. So we are blessed to have two drivers. The car is still in a positive form in terms of performance. It is still quick, and there's a lot we understood from Bahrain that should help us going to Saudi."
In the Saudi Arabian Gp, the pair brought home double points finish for Williams, with Carlos Sainz finishing in eighth and Albon in ninth. During the final laps, Sainz aided Albon by keeping him within his DRS range to fend off a charging Isack Hadjar. Consequently, the Williams duo kept each other ahead of the Racing Bulls threat until the checkered flag.
The result marked Sainz's second points-paying finish, placing him 15th in the standings, eight spots below Albon.
