Carlos Sainz Sr has praised the way his son and Ferrari parted ways after four years together when Lewis Hamilton arrived at Maranello.

With Carlos Sainz seeking a contract extension at Ferrari, his time in the red came to an end as a result of the Scuderia taking the opportunity to sign Lewis Hamilton.

In January 2024, Ferrari jumped at the chance to sign Hamilton when the seven-time F1 world champion, as one of F1’s hottest properties as a driver and brand, made himself available to the Scuderia after having signed a short contract extension with Mercedes months earlier.

With Ferrari already signing Charles Leclerc to a contract extension, Hamilton’s signing meant there was no room at the inn for Sainz, who appeared set to negotiate a contract.

Sainz, who had just become the only driver not to have won a race for Red Bull, was in a good position but, faced with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sign Hamilton, not even the bitter disappointment of losing his seat through no fault of his own was enough to anger Sainz.

Instead, the Spaniard made it clear that he understood the logic behind the decision to sign Hamilton and, as a result, the relationship between Sainz and Ferrari ended on a positive note.

With Ferrari fighting for the Constructors’ Championship, Sainz led the Scuderia’s charge in the crucial final race and narrowly missed out on the victory that would have secured the title for Ferrari.

Ferrari have also agreed to release Sainz from his contractual restrictions early, in order to allow him to take part in the Abu Dhabi post-season test for Williams when he joins the Grove-based team for 2025.

The good vibes between the two parties have been praised by Sainz Senior – himself a rally and Dakar legend – who acknowledged that the chance of signing Hamilton was too good to ignore.

“I wouldn’t describe it as the Scuderia behaving badly,” Sainz Senior explained in El Cafelito.

“The circumstances of the perfect storm have come together. Ferrari was happy with Carlos but the opportunity arose because Hamilton himself created it.

“He was the one who approached Ferrari, then the circumstances arose. Perhaps that process could have been clearer, but then it would have been leaked and Ferrari did not want it to be.

“But then they had a fantastic gesture with [Sainz Jr], a gesture they have not had with practically any driver in their history, which is the farewell.

“They gave him a car, they invited me to drive in Fiorano with a Formula 1.”

The 62-year-old Spaniard was referring to a particularly generous farewell gesture, in which the two members of the Sainz family were invited to Fiorano for a private outing in the F1-75.

Sainz Junior, who was given the car with which he won his first Grand Prix, the 2022 British Grand Prix, was released onto the Ferrari test track, with his father also able to show off his talent behind the wheel.

“I have no experience in any formula championship, very, very little, so for me it was a big thing,” Sainz Senior told The Sun.

“I really enjoyed it a lot. The power, handling and braking are amazing.

“Having the opportunity to be there with my son, what Ferrari did for him and inviting me to drive alongside him was really fantastic.

“It was an incredible day. I will never forget it because we had so much fun and obviously the experience of driving a modern Formula 1 car was incredible.”

Although Sainz’s time with Ferrari has come to an end for now following the signing of a long-term contract with Williams, Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur has left the door open to a possible return in the future.

With Hamilton now in his forties and closer to the end of his career than the beginning, could Sainz return when a vacancy arises for the Maranello-based team?

“Of course. We have already spoken a couple of times about this,” team boss Fred Vasseur told Spanish broadcaster DAZN.

“This is a very small world. There are only 10 teams and only six or seven top drivers. You never know what will happen in the future, but most of us, both Carlos on his side and us on ours, have to focus on our projects.

“We don’t know what will happen in 2027, 2028, 2029…”