Carlos Signal particulars how Lewis Hamilton’s idolatry led him to see him solely as a competitor.
The Williams driver spoke warmly about seven-time world champion Hamilton, who took a seat at Ferrari within the 2025 season after finishing an enormous hit change from Mercedes within the winter.
It left Sainz with out a drive, however after receiving some affords in 2025, the Spaniard joined Williams.
When Hamilton gained his first world title with McLaren in 2008, the signal was nonetheless cartting and watching Formulation 1.
Sainz admitted that because of the aggressive nature of Formulation 1, Hamilton can’t be thought of an idol.
“To be sincere, that is as a result of he is my competitor, but when I wasn’t in Formulation 1, he’d be considered one of my idols,” Sainz advised Greg James and Radio1’s breakfast.
“After I was 10, it was when he arrived in Formulation 1 and have become the world champion in 2008. I used to be 12. That is after I began watching Formulation 1, the place he was racing Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and everybody.
“He was considered one of my idols and one of many individuals I admired, and now he’s considered one of my rivals, 15 years from now.”
Does Ferrari remorse making a driver resolution?
Sainz scored Hamilton on the primary podium of the 2025 season and made an impressive drive to 3rd place on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton solely completed eighth with teammate Charles Leclair’s first place on one other overwhelming weekend because the Saints celebrated a milestone podium with Williams.
Nevertheless, Ferrari’s four-time Grand Prix winner, Sainz refused to be drawn to the story of comparability with Hamilton.
“What everybody else is doing is not my enterprise, I will be sincere,” claimed Dimension.
“What I care about is the primary alternative to should get on the rostrum with Williams, the primary alternative to should get on the rostrum, and we took it and we acquired it.
Hamilton endures a troublesome debut season with Ferrari and has but to attain the rostrum in his first 17 Grands Prix.
Aside from successful the Chinese language dash race, Hamilton’s Ferrari’s greatest consequence was fourth place he took with Imola, Crimson Bull Ring and Silverstone.
Former Haas staff principal Guenther Steiner believes that a few of the Ferrari staff regretted changing Sainz with Hamilton.
“I feel some individuals on the staff do,” Steiner advised the Crimson Flagspodcast. “I do not assume administration can really feel remorse since you admit that you simply did one thing improper. You possibly can’t try this since you’re certain that a few of the individuals on the market are regrets.
“Carlos Sainz is at the moment third with Williams, so I feel Carlos Sainz is the very best feeling about that.”
Steiner added: “I imply, Carlos was doing job. He wasn’t performing all of the interference from Lewis’ outdoors, so the staff can give attention to enhancing issues slightly than continuously looking for out why Lewis would not just like the automotive.
“They’d a recognized quantity with Carlos. He might ship, and Lewis clearly, I respect Lewis, however at this level, is it a beneficial funding because of the nervousness he brings across the staff and the staff?
“I additionally consider Lewis is rather more costly than Carlos by way of funding cash.”
