Carlos Sainz believes that he would today have the chance to fight for the world title if he had continued his adventure with McLaren and acknowledges that his departure for Ferrari may seem regrettable.
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The Spanish driver assures that he could not refuse the opportunity to join the Scuderia.
Sainz had spent two seasons at McLaren alongside Lando Norris, in 2019 and 2020, before joining Ferrari to become the teammate of Charles Leclerc.
No regrets about joining Ferrari
A period he now considers one of the best of his career: “Those two excellent years at McLaren may have been the best of my career, where I got the best out of the car. ”
With the spectacular progress made since by the British team, Sainz does not hide that another career choice could have allowed him to find himself in a very different situation: “If I had stayed, we would be in the running for a world championship right now. ”
However, the Spaniard does not really regret his choice. When an opportunity to join Ferrari arose, he wanted to prove that he had the level to evolve within a team capable of winning: “I wanted to prove to myself and to everyone that I deserved to be there, to fight for podiums and victories.”
Future compromised?
His time in Maranello finally ended at the end of 2024, Ferrari having chosen to recruit Lewis Hamilton. Sainz admits to being disappointed that no other top team then offered him a seat, which led him to join Williams in 2025.
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Since then, the results have sometimes been difficult to accept: “I have never experienced such a series of underperformances and poor results.”
Sainz nevertheless assures he deeply believes in the Williams project and now wants to participate in the British team’s return to the top: “I am very happy at Williams and I think it is an excellent place for my future. If we manage to bring Williams back to the top and one day secure a podium or a victory, that would be what excites me the most: it is my life project. ”
From Verstappen to McLaren, a formative journey
Sainz also reflected on his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015. At only 20 years old, he was paired with Max Verstappen, then still a teenager: “Then I got my chance thanks to Red Bull. Racing with Verstappen was a formative experience. It really strengthened my character, because facing someone of such quality and having the support of the entire Red Bull team forced me to give my best. ”
His time at Renault did not leave him with an unforgettable memory and it was at Woking that he feels he truly found the environment allowing him to thrive: “It was the first time in Formula 1 that I really felt loved, supported and accepted by everyone. It strengthened my confidence and allowed me to progress as a driver. ”
In hindsight, Sainz knows that by staying at McLaren, he might today have a car capable of allowing him to compete for the championship. But his goal is now different: to succeed with Williams what he has seen McLaren accomplish, by participating in the rebuilding of a historic team until bringing it back to the podiums and victories.
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