Sainz hit back at those who were frustrated at him: 'Did the right thing'

Carlos Sainz has spent over six months pondering his future in Formula 1 but eventually made his mind up as Formula 1 entered its summer break. The Spanish driver caused some frustration amongst his fellow F1 drivers, with him being described as the "cork in the bottle". Speculation developed online amongst fans, and Sainz himself even admitted that it was distracting from his 2024 performance at Ferrari. Sainz has explained why he thinks it was right to take his time.

Sainz was pushed out of Ferrari before a wheel was even turned in the 2024 Formula 1 season. During the winter break, Ferrari opted to extend Charles Leclerc's contract and then sign seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season.

Contract talk for Sainz rumbled on for many months. Audi (Sauber), Alpine, Mercedes, and even Red Bull Racing were linked with Sainz at different points during the season. Eventually, Sainz opted to join Williams after James Vowles publicly made it clear the Spanish driver was his number one target.

Why Sainz took his time over his F1 future

Speaking during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, before the announcement at Williams, Sainz explained himself in front of GPblog and other media. "It's been a very complex driver market. A very complex situation. That's why I've been having to wait and see how the future was planning out. It has given me the feeling that I've been doing the right thing to wait because every week, there’s something different about each team," Sainz explained.

One of the changes was the fact that Alpine started to consider becoming a customer team. This news was confirmed in Belgium last weekend. Sainz decided to answer those who have developed frustrations over recent months. "So even though I see some fans and some media getting impatient, saying why is he waiting so long? When you look at the market and when you look at each team, all the changes that they've been in every team, it clearly shows that waiting was exactly the right thing to do, because the more I've been waiting, the more information I was getting from each team that I have opportunities to go to," Sainz added before positively acknowledging his situation.

"It feels like a privilege to be well regarded by these teams and have such positive feedback from them. I feel almost honoured to have this positive will from these teams," Sainz concluded.

Ten races remain. The F1 season will restart at the Dutch Grand Prix towards the end of August. Now that his contract is sorted, Sainz will be able to put his full attention on matters at Ferrari. He has five podiums to his name in 2024, including a race win at the Australian Grand Prix in March.