Fred Vasseur reveals Carlos Sainz ‘dedicated and fully committed’ to Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton signing confirms exit

The beginning of this year presented challenges for Carlos Sainz, after he received the completely unexpected news that his 2025 seat would be filled by none other than the seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton.

However, the team principal of the Italian outfit suggests that the timely disclosure of this news has been beneficial for both Ferrari and Sainz, serving as motivation for their remaining year together.

Fred Vasseur talks about Carlos Sainz’s dedication ahead of next season

In early February, it was announced that Carlos Sainz would no longer be the main driver for Ferrari from the 2025 season as the Italian squad had decided to hire Lewis Hamilton instead.

This indicated that the Spanish driver would either voluntarily retire from the industry or transfer to another reputable team with a multi-year extension after his current contract expires.

The sudden declaration of the news was not easy for the 29-year-old, who admitted that it had not been the “best feeling to start with the season.”

However, Sainz mustered the courage to endure the season and give his “best” for the upcoming 2024 season to prove his worth to himself as well as the other individuals in the industry. On the other hand, team principal Fred Vasseur insisted that the early declaration of the news was made for Sainz to be “fully committed” while still being a Ferrari driver.

He said, “I’m fully convinced Carlos will be fully dedicated and fully committed until the last lap and the last corner of the season. I’m sure that all of the team will be fully motivated and fully behind Carlos; he has done a great job for us so far.”

“Now it’s important for us to be focused on 2024. We have a good opportunity. We’ve worked so hard on the project that I don’t want to have any kind of distraction.”

Vasseur reveals difficulty picking Hamilton over Sainz

Fred Vasseur admitted that choosing only one driver between Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz was one of the hardest decisions of his life. However, as a team principal, he had to choose the driver who would make a huge leap towards success in the upcoming few years, and for them, it was Lewis Hamilton.

He said, “As you can imagine, it was not the easiest call of my life. One of the most difficult was the one with Toto [Wolff]. But I’m fully convinced that he’s a very professional driver, that he understands that we have a long season in front of us, and that it’s a huge opportunity.”

Do you think Vasseur choosing Hamilton was the right decision for the team? Let us know in the comment section below.