A tearful Carlos Sainz still not able to understand why Ferrari let him go for Lewis Hamilton, reveals former F1 boss
Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan said that after the end of the Abhi Dhabi GP, he saw Carlos Sainz in tears, unable to understand why Ferrari moved him out to make way for Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. The Spanish driver bid farewell to the Italian team at the end of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend, where he finished P2, behind McLaren driver Lando Norris.
The four-time race winner will be joining Williams on a multi-year contract next year, as Ferrari prepares for the arrival of Hamilton in his place. Despite his imminent departure being known all season, the 30-year-old remained professional and did his best to help the Maranello-based outfit challenge McLaren in the constructors' championship till the last race of the season.
On the latest "Formula for Success" podcast episode, Jordan spoke about Carlos Sainz's exit from Ferrari. He said that both Sainz and his father were in tears after the race in Abu Dhabi. Jordan said,
“John Elkann must have had rocks in his head to make that decision [to axe Sainz].
He added,
"I’m particularly close to his father, Carlos Sr., and when I spoke to him to say what a good job he’d done the whole of Ferrari was all upstairs in the units where they have the hospitality and Carlos Sr. was in tears. “Carlos himself was in tears and he still doesn’t quite understand why he was let go, and to be quite honest I don’t either.”
Carlos Sainz reflects on being "hurt" after getting axed by Ferrari
Carlos Sainz said he was hurt after Ferrari informed him of their decision to let him go during the winter break preceding the 2024 season.
Making an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the Spaniard spoke about his emotional state during the off-season, saying,
"I remember being very emotional on that Australian GP podium because there was my dad there, my manager, my girlfriend, I was obviously thinking about my mom, and they've all seen me suffer during the winter. And when I say suffer, I don't mean I was crying behind closed doors, but I was actually hurt.
"I wasn't prepared for that kind of news. I was a bit in shock for a while, and then I regrouped and got training again. But I remember after that win in Australia, thinking about how lucky I am of the people that I have around me, giving me that inner strength to overcome what it was at the time, a tough moment."
Carlos Sainz finished his final season with Ferrari with two wins, in Melbourne and Mexico. He finished P5 in the drivers' standings with 290 points, trailing Oscar Piastri by a mere two points at the end of the year.