The Madrid-born driver finished second at the Abu Dhabi circuit after an intense race for pole position.

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Carlos Sainz closes the season and his time with Ferrari with a second-place finish

Carlos Sainz has finished the 2024 season in second place in the last Formula 1 Grand Prix, leaving his legacy in the red team in style. The Spaniard managed to stand on the podium one last time in the Ferrari suit alongside one of his great F1 friends and former teammate when he raced for McLaren, Lando Norris, who also demonstrated his leadership in the season in which he has collected the most awards, 13 to be precise.

The fight for the podium in the last race of the longest season in the history of Formula 1 was not only between Sainz and Norris, but also between their teams, Ferrari and McLaren who, in turn, were competing for the first place in the constructors' championship, which ended with the victory of the orange team, thanks to the first place of Lando Norris. However, Sainz said he was very proud of his race and of the season in general. The Spaniard finished fifth in the Drivers' World Championship, with two pole positions and nine podiums.

A few months ago, Ferrari announced the departure of Sainz for next season and the entry of Lewis Hamilton in his place. From next season Carlos Sainz will join the Williams team, in principle for two seasons. A drastic change. The Spaniard will go from racing for the most successful team in the history of Formula 1, to one that finished the season in penultimate place.

In a post-race interview with DAZN, Sainz was excited about his departure from Ferrari and the incredible growth as a driver in the team, but looking forward to a new and challenging period. ‘I'm proud that I kept the motivation and the drive to push throughout the year. I think I managed to finish the year well with a couple of podiums and a win in Mexico. It wasn't easy to stay focused; and I managed to do it’.

At the age of 30, Carlos Sainz has proven his talent as a Formula 1 driver, something that many questioned as he is the son of rally driver and multiple Dakar champion Carlos Sainz. He made his debut as a premier class driver in 2015 in a Toro Rosso, now Red Bull, alongside fourth consecutive World Championship winner Max Verstappen. In 2017, he spent the last four races on loan at Renault and after that short stint he moved to McLaren for two years, where he scored his first podium finish. In 2020, he moved to Ferrari, where he has been racing for four years and has been crowned one of the best Formula 1 drivers in recent times.

Despite knowing that he would be leaving Ferrari before the start of the last pre-season, the news did not let it affect him and he continued to fight to be the best driver on the grid. Now with a fresh start ahead of him, the Madrid-born driver told Sunday's official FIA press conference: ‘I don't know when I will be in a position to fight for a podium with Williams. Maybe 2025 will be a tough year, before 2026 (when the technical regulations change and a lot of things can happen). But the team is investing. And I think I belong to the group of drivers who should fight for podiums. Just as I believe Williams should be a team that fights for podiums. I not only accept this new challenge, but I'm excited about it. You can't imagine,’ added Sainz.