Carlos Sainz showed a great performance as a member of Ferrari at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz praised his new SF-24 car after finishing third in Bahrain, and his comments were reportedly warmly welcomed by Lewis Hamilton.
In a surprising development last month, it was confirmed that the seven-time world champion would replace Sainz at the Scuderia for the 2025 season, but the Spaniard is yet to decide on his next move.
Sainz, 29, started fourth on the grid behind eventual winner Max Verstappen, team-mates Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
But in the final two races he led, and despite Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez racing from fifth on the grid to second, Sainz showed remarkable momentum.
In contrast, Hamilton continued to struggle with Mercedes, finishing seventh on Sunday and hasn’t won a grand prix since December 2022.
But he should be more competitive against the Italian giants and would be delighted if Sainz revealed he finally has a car he can drive aggressively.
“The last race I attacked was in Austria and I was a bit relieved because we’re talking about a race 13 or 14 years ago,” he said via Autosport.
And the rest of the races last year, I just kept the pace, looked in the mirrors, controlled my pace, and I didn’t really have a chance to pass anyone.
I like to run, I like to overtake, I like to be aggressive, I like to attack. But with last year’s car that was just not possible.
I remember saying at this year’s car launch that I wish I had a car that I could race and attack people without worrying too much about tires.
And that’s exactly what we got,” he added. “I had a very aggressive race, had a really good race pace, and then I was able to finish in 3rd place, which was great. It was a lot of fun.”
Ahead of the start of a new era of F1 rules in 2022, Sainz has announced his intention to fight for a world title.
However, the task was never accomplished and he finished fifth, more than 200 points behind champion Verstappen.
2023 was another disappointing year, with the former McLaren driver dropping to seventh despite winning the Singapore Grand Prix.
However, early signs suggest he is in a strong position to take on two Red Bulls this season.
The idea is sure to excite Hamilton. Hamilton wants Ferrari to make further improvements before 2025, when it aims for an unprecedented eighth world title.
And with his own attacking instincts currently limited at the Silver Arrows, F1 fans will also be excited by the prospect of seeing the icon return to his best in a formidable car.