Carlos Sainz has admitted it “hurt at the time” not to sign a driver to a top team after it was confirmed he would leave Ferrari.

Red Bull and Mercedes have chosen to renew respectively with Sergio Perez and recruit rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and while Sainz hopes to get Williams back on the pitch alongside Alex Albon in time, he is now “at peace” with his position from 2025.

Carlos Sainz ‘injured at that time’ as main doors closed for F1 2025

Sainz became a free agent for a significant part of the season when it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be heading to Ferrari next year, with the Spanish driver previously saying he had held negotiations with “every team” at different moments.

He ultimately chose Williams as his next destination on an extended multi-year deal, with the Grove-based team looking to the 2026 F1 regulations as a reset for a quantum leap in competitiveness.

But with more immediately competitive seats becoming available at short notice, the four-time Grand Prix winner admitted he “couldn’t understand” being overlooked, although he is now ready for his next step with Williams.

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When he was entrusted to Sainz by Sky F1 While opportunities to drive for Red Bull and Mercedes saw “the doors close pretty quickly” earlier this year, the 30-year-old admitted it was a big blow to his “driving ego” at the time -there.

“I’ve definitely achieved peace and I truly believe that if I’m not going there it’s because life just doesn’t want me to be there – there’s something else that will come after that, that will actually turn into be good,” Sainz said.

“It hurt me at the time, we all have an ego, and I have a driver’s ego, and I couldn’t understand it at the time.

“Personally, I still can’t understand some of the choices people made, but at the same time it creates even more of a challenge in me, and it makes me even more excited for Williams.

“Williams is the one who invested in me, who supported me from the beginning, those who came to see me a year ago, and that makes me really, really excited.

“I said, ‘I want to give these guys what they gave me.’ Give them back that trust and belief in me.

“I can’t wait to go there and build something good with them.” »

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