Watch: Carlos Sainz in tears as he bids farewell to Ferrari after the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Carlos Sainz was seen in tears as he bid farewell to Ferrari at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend after finishing P2 in the main race. The Spanish driver is set to join the Williams F1 team in 2025 and race alongside Alex Albon.
Sainz did his best in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening to guide the Italian team to their first Constructor's Championship since 2008 but fell short. The 30-year-old finished the race in second position behind Oscar Piastri, and Ferrari lost the Constructor's Championship to Red Bull by just 14 points.
In a video shared by Ferrari on their social media platform, X, Carlos Sainz could be seen visibly emotional and in tears in his final moments with the Prancing Horses.
In the video, the Spaniard paid tribute to his former employers and said:
"You guys have now seen me emotional so with that and with the video, I think it’s the perfect way to close this chapter. Thank you so much, Fred and thank you to all the team."
The Spanish driver joined the Italian team at the start of the 2021 season, replacing Sebastian Vettel, who had been with Aston Martin for two seasons. During his second year, he got his first pole position and first race win with the team.
Carlos Sainz chimes in on being emotional on his final day with Ferrari
Carlos Sainz admitted that he got emotional before the race as well but did not delve into the details but focused on the job in hand given Ferrari had an outside chance of winning the Constructor's Championship.
In the post-race press conference, the 30-year-old said:
"I can just tell you that I did get emotional at some point today. I'm not going to tell you exactly when or how. It's a feeling that I save to myself and for my team. It's just up until today, there was too much of a job to do and too much of a thing to fight for.
"So your brain doesn't allow you to get emotional because you care more about winning and giving the team a Constructors' Championship than your emotions itself. Let's say, your competitiveness takes over. But today there were moments when I got emotional and luckily you guys didn't get to see it."
When asked about his chances of standing on the podium with Williams, Sainz added:
"It's impossible to predict the future, impossible to know how long it's going to take me and Williams to be back fighting for podium positions."
Carlos Sainz will enter Williams at the end of a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Formula One World Championship. The Spaniard amassed 290 points and won two races at the Australian Grand Prix and the Mexico City Grand Prix.