Carlos Sainz was suddenly dropped by Ferrari as they announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton in February 2024, with the Spaniard blindsided and left lacking an explanation

Carlos Sainz Jr believes he wasn’t given sufficient reasoning for losing his Ferrari seat(Image: Kym Illman, Getty Images)

Carlos Sainz has revealed that Ferrari didn’t explain why when they told him he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton. The Formula One world was rocked in February 2024 when it emerged that the seven-time world champion would be joining the iconic Italian team, partnering up with Charles Leclerc.

Sainz, who was caught completely off guard by the announcement, had been under the impression that his future at Maranello was secure. The Spanish driver, 30, was in the midst of contract renewal talks, with his deal set to run out after the 2024 season.

He finished the season with the Scuderia before joining Williams for the current 2025 campaign, while Hamilton bid farewell to Mercedes, where he had enjoyed the most successful driver-team partnership in F1 history.

Sainz has now opened up about the shocking moment he was told of Fred Vasseur’s decision over a phone call, voicing his disbelief and noting the lack of answers he was given by the team regarding his axing.

He explained on the High Performance Podcast: “I received a phone call and I suddenly received the news. I was completely shocked. I went from believing I was going to be in Ferrari for a while to, ‘What am I going to do now?’

“It never occurred to me that that could happen.” When asked whether they gave him any reasons, he added: “No, not really. There weren’t many reasons.

“I’m not going to go a lot into the detail of those conversations but I was like, ‘Okay now it’s my time to shine and to prove to everyone what I’m worth. It’s the most important moment of my life now.’

Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly took Sainz’s seat(Image: Getty)

“I went into that late February and March period with the mentality of I’m just going to go for it. That gave me a bit of a kick and I think it made me a better driver.”

Sainz’s previous season had ended in a disappointing seventh placed finish in the drivers’ championship, which may have been one reason for Ferrari reconsidering his future.

Sainz then entered talks with Sauber, Alpine and even Mercedes, potentially replacing Hamilton in a dramatic swap. But despite lengthy discussions with Toto Wolff, he admits it was never a serious possibility.

Sainz discussed the possibility of replacing Hamilton with Mercedes(Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Asked whether he was on the verge of securing a contract offer, he said: “Not really. We spoke a lot with Toto and everyone else at the time and I was certainly one of the options that was considered. But how close was I? You can ask Toto that. But I think he is very happy with Kimi Antonelli.”

Both Sainz and Hamilton have faced challenges adapting to their new teams this season. Despite being halfway through the campaign, Hamilton is yet to clinch a podium finish and sits sixth in the standings, while Sainz finds himself in a disappointing 15th place.