Sainz makes way for Hamilton: 'I feel a bit sorry for him'
- Ludo van Denderen
While his teammate George Russell received the trophy for finishing in third place in Montreal, Lewis Hamilton walked through the paddock of the Canadian Grand Prix. All season long, the seven-time world champion has been beaten by the younger Russell and in Montreal too, he had to acknowledge his superiority to his teammate. Perhaps better times will follow in '25, when Hamilton will hunt for his eighth world title with Ferrari.
In any case, Ferrari know what winning is. In the current season, Charles Leclerc (in Monaco) and Carlos Sainz (Australia) managed to win a Grand Prix. The latter is fourth in the title race, with almost twice as many points as Hamilton (eighth in the standings). Yet Sainz must therefore make way for the veteran Hamilton after this season, who is not in the best phase of his career.
Gerhard Berger - himself having raced for Ferrari's F1 team in the past - finds it extremely unfortunate that Sainz has to leave. "Very sad. I feel a bit sorry for him because he is almost equal to Leclerc. But Ferrari has chosen Hamilton, who should provide new dynamism. In the wake of Lewis, one or two important technical people are definitely coming along, and Ferrari need them. One of them could be Adrian Newey," Berger told Bild.
Williams or Audi for Sainz?
Sainz is on the wish list of Williams and Sauber (future Audi). Which team it finally becomes for the Spaniard will soon become clear: "For him it is hugely difficult, because there is no good option available at the moment," believes Berger, who goes on to state that Sainz would have liked to have been at Red Bull. "But they prefer their own."