Carlos Sainz tells how his father reacted when he saw him drive for Ferrari for the first time

Team boss Frederic Vasseur has secured the services of Formula 1’s most successful driver – Lewis Hamilton – for 2025 and beyond.

He decided to pair the seven-time world champion with Charles Leclerc, leaving Carlos Sainz to look for a new home on the grid.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari, from the team boss to the factory

Numerous teams vied for the Spaniard's services, but the race for Sainz went to Williams, who will work alongside Alex Albon from next year.

Speaking to The Athletic about his time at the Scuderia, Sainz reflected on his ups and downs with the team.

If Sainz moves to Williams, he would have driven for half of all the teams on the grid, a rare feat in today's era of Formula 1.

His father, Carlos Sainz Sr., is an accomplished driver himself and won the Dakar Rally with Audi earlier this year.

Sainz now recounted how his father reacted when he saw his son driving for Ferrari for the first time.

Carlos Sainz tells how his father reacted when he saw him drive for Ferrari for the first time

Sainz's Formula 1 journey began in Italy with Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso.

Before moving to Renault, McLaren and then Ferrari, Sainz admitted: “I knew they [Toro Rosso’s engineers] put in a good word for me with the Italian engineers at Ferrari, as they usually fly together since their bases are only an hour apart.

“And then I thought: Maybe one day I can be a Ferrari driver.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz's life outside F1: full name, girlfriend and height

In 2021, these recommendations paid off when Sainz entered Ferrari's private test tracks at Fiorano for the first time.

On the figure-eight-shaped track near the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Sainz slipped into the famous red racing overalls for the first time in front of Sainz Sr.

Sainz Jr. spoke about this experience: “I saw him and a little tear ran down his eye when they told me that I had left the pits in Fiorano in red for my first installation lap.

“This is a memory I will never forget.”

Carlos Sainz wants to leave Ferrari with a title

Sainz will not win the drivers' championship this year and it would be a real surprise if he were to fight for the title at Williams next year.

However, Leclerc's win at Monza, McLaren's missed chances for a one-two and Red Bull's recent struggles have put Ferrari in the running for the Constructors' Championship.

Red Bull is only eight points ahead of McLaren and Ferrari is only 31 points behind.

Sainz believes Ferrari has a “great chance” to close the gap and win its first championship since 2008.

For Sainz and Ferrari it would be the perfect end to their time together.

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