02 February 2024 , 10:57
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Carlos Sainz declared he will continue to give his "absolute best" in his final season for Ferrari, despite being replaced by Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion shocked the world on Thursday by announcing he would be joining the Scuderia at the end of 2024. It will bring to an end his 11-year stay with the Mercedes team he has referred to as his "family".
And it also means Sainz is left looking for a new place to call home. He is the one who will be making room for Hamilton, as Charles Leclerc signed a new long-term contract only last month.
Shortly after the move was officially announced, Sainz released a short statement of his won. In it, he acknowledged that his Ferrari career will soon come to an end - but made a vow to the Italian team's passionate fanbase.
"Following today's news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024," the Spaniard wrote. "We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world."
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It remains to be seen where Sainz will be racing in 2025. He refused to speak about what the future holds for his career, simply stating instead that: "News about my future will be announced in due course."
Sainz has enjoyed the most successful stint of his career since becoming a Ferrari driver. He became an F1 race winner for the first time at the 2022 British Grand Prix and followed that up with another race victory in Singapore last year.
That was significant as he was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in the entire 2023 season. Still, though, Ferrari have chosen to retain Leclerc instead - and the team did not even mention Sainz in its brief statement announcing that Hamilton would be joining for 2025.
Instead, the team will no doubt be revelling in the fact it has lured a seven-time world champion to join. Even the stock markets knew it was huge news - Ferrari's share price rocketed when the New York Stock Exchange opened on Thursday and shareholders made billions.
As for Sainz, he has been heavily linked with the Audi F1 project that officially begins in 2026. But he may even be a contender for the Mercedes seat that will be vacated by Hamilton, should the Silver Arrows decide they want an experienced replacement for their departing superstar.