Carlos Sainz has told Lewis Hamilton to enjoy his time as a Ferrari driver ahead of his switch next year, Afrosport reports.
Hamilton will replace Sainz at Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season and will race alongside Charles Leclerc while Sainz will move to Williams to partner Alex Albon.
This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes after 11 years, while Sainz will leave Ferrari after four years.
Speaking ahead of the weekend’s race, Sainz explained the seven-time world champion needs no advice when asked if he had any for him before he joins the Scuderia.
“No, honestly, I don’t think a seven-time world champion that has changed teams multiple times or a few times in the past needs my advice,” he said.
“The only thing I can obviously recommend him or tell him is to enjoy it. It’s an incredible place to be part of and an incredible place to drive and feel like a Formula 1 driver.
“I believe he will get an incredible treatment by the tifosi and by all the supporters, engineers, mechanics, everyone involved in Ferrari and enjoy it because there’s nothing better than being a Ferrari Formula 1 driver. And yeah, I’m sure he’s going to enjoy that.”
Danke @MercedesBenz ❤️
26 years on this journey together with @LewisHamilton 🙏 pic.twitter.com/2Wi1zro7zT
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 6, 2024
Meanwhile, Hamilton stated that he “massively underestimated” how difficult leaving Mercedes would be.
The 39-year-old has won six of his seven world titles with Mercedes during time with the Brackley outfit.
“The first meeting with Toto at the beginning of the year was awkward. Of course it was awkward from the get-go,” he said.
“…I anticipated it would be difficult but massively underestimated how difficult. It was straining on the relationship very early on and took time for people to get past it.”
Hamilton is on course to finish in his lowest placing in the drivers championship which he currently occupies in seventh.
