F1 fans applaud Ferrari's heartfelt farewell to Carlos Sainz before his move to Williams

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Carlos Sainz is preparing to leave Ferrari after four seasons with the team to join Williams ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Lando Norris, the former teammate of the Spaniard at McLaren, believes that Carlos Sainz's experience will help elevate the British side into a top team in the coming years, given his time with two of the most successful teams in recent Formula 1 history. Although Ferrari narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, falling just 14 points behind McLaren, Carlos Sainz's performance remained exceptional, with very few mistakes throughout the season.

While Carlos Sainz may have preferred a move to Red Bull or Mercedes to continue competing at the front of the grid, he is now joining a Williams project that is showing promising signs of progress. Although the team is unlikely to be challenging for race victories in the immediate future, the combination of Carlos Sainz, a driver with four race wins under his belt, and Alex Albon, provides a promising and well-rounded partnership.

Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner, who knows the F1 landscape well, has remarked that Williams hit the jackpot by signing Carlos Sainz, especially considering that the Spaniard managed to win two races in 2024 despite undergoing major surgery for appendicitis.

As a gesture of appreciation, Ferrari gave Carlos Sainz Sr the opportunity to drive his son's Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano test track, marking a memorable and emotional farewell for the Spanish driver. Fans were overjoyed by the Scuderia's F1-inspired tribute to Carlos Sainz.

The Maranello team were thanked by the tifosi on the X social media platform after the special day the Spaniard received in Fiorano: "Thank god they did a better farewell than Seb [Vettel], [Fernando] Alonso and Kimi [Raikkonen]," wrote one fan.

"Ferrari knows how to say goodbye in style, and SMOOTHLY," said another fan.

"Beautiful way to say goodbye to the amazing person and driver that is Carlos," someone else pointed out, while another fan added: "So cool of Ferrari to do this," and another agreed with the sentiment by saying: "What a beautiful send-off!"

At the same time, Carlos Sainz’s father received compliments for his Fiorano run: "Sainz's dad is so cool. He can also drive an F1 car. That's a World Champion."

Could Carlos Sainz make a comeback to Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton's retirement?

At 39 years old, Lewis Hamilton is not a long-term solution to replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. His role is more about seizing a brief opportunity while the team has a competitive car, taking advantage of the current winning window.

This has led to speculation that Carlos Sainz might return to Ferrari in a few years, but such talk would undermine Williams’ potential. The British team has invested significantly in its future and is building a path toward the front of the grid. Carlos Sainz, who believes he is stronger than Hamilton, likely wouldn’t take kindly to being replaced by the British driver. The relationship with Ferrari may have reached a point where there are too many bridges burned for a potential return to the team.

Under new team principal James Vowles, Williams has made significant investments in its infrastructure and is now firmly on a trajectory toward success. Carlos Sainz, with his experience, is ideally positioned to be a key part of this upward climb.

Carlos Sainz has a track record of helping teams make significant strides, having been part of McLaren and Ferrari's transitions from the midfield to the current front-runners in Formula 1. With the added experience and knowledge he has gained in recent years, there’s every reason to believe that he could replicate that kind of success with Williams as they continue their march forward.

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