The Scuderia Ferrari continues to face criticism for its management of its drivers
Ferrari has been accused of mistreating Carlos Sainz after leaving him without a seat for the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship and replacing him with Lewis Hamilton for the recently concluded season.
This news is not the first time that the red team has been surrounded by controversy of this kind. Ibai Llanos, a well-known internet personality, said the following about the Madrid-born driver during one of his live streams: “Carlos Sainz Jr. is better than Leclerc. Underrated and mistreated at Ferrari,” said the streamer.
The departure of number 55 from Maranello was surrounded by controversy caused by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, who also failed to deliver the expected results in 2025. Although Hamilton's signing was considered one of the most shocking moves in recent years in the Series, the British driver failed to secure a podium finish in his first season in red, sparking rumors of an early retirement.
Carlos had to look at other team options and was forced to decide under pressure due to the short time frame before the next season, with links to a possible transfer to Red Bull, Mercedes, or even Aston Martin. In the end, Sainz moved to Williams in the hope that the new 2026 rules would give him a chance to return this historic team to the fight for podiums and victories.
How did Carlos Sainz's career with Red Bull go?
Sainz signed with Red Bull as a junior driver in 2010. After triumphing in Formula BMW, he went on to win the Northern European Formula Renault 2.0 title the following year. However, in the prestigious Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, he had to concede victory to Robin Frijns.
In 2012, he competed in five British Formula 3 races, finishing sixth, and the following year in the GP3 Series, he also encountered difficulties. Red Bull gave him one last chance in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014, where he won almost half of the races and was crowned champion after beating Pierre Gasly.
This success paved the way for a Formula 1 debut in 2015 alongside Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz scored 112 points in his three seasons racing in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing's junior team.
His teammates included Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, and Pierre Gasly; however, he moved to Renault for the last four races of the 2017 season. After stints with Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari, Sainz will defend the colors of Williams from the 2025 season.