Source: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
[Saba Sports News] Last year, when Lewis Hamilton announced he would join Ferrari for the 2025 season, the F1 transfer market was shaken up. Originally, Carlos Sainz was considered the favorite to replace Hamilton; however, the current Williams driver himself revealed that he never truly approached the seat at Mercedes. After Hamilton joined Ferrari, Sainz had to give up the seat at Ferrari and became one of the most attractive drivers in the free market. He was once linked with Sauber, Alpine, and even Red Bull, but none of these deals materialized. Recently, Sainz admitted in a podcast that he had frequent contact with Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, and knew he was a candidate. But when asked whether he was really close to signing, he unhesitatingly said, “No. Wolff clearly had high hopes for young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and the Mercedes academy star eventually became Hamilton’s successor.” Earlier, in behind-the-scenes footage from the latest season of Fastest Lap, Sainz also expressed disappointment about Wolff not contacting him sooner.