Final showdown: Sainz aims for perfect send-off with Ferrari

Abu Dhabi: With the Driver’s Championship decided, all eyes are on the Constructors’ title, where McLaren leads and Ferrari is hot on their heels, just 21 points behind with only one race left. For Carlos Sainz, the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix holds even more significance: it will be his final race for Ferrari. Eager to finish on a high, Sainz hopes to gift his team the title as his parting gesture.

McLaren is currently in the lead with 640 points, followed by Ferrari at 619. The 21-point gap is substantial, but with Charles Leclerc and Sainz in the mix, the title could still swing in Ferrari’s favour in the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Tight battle

“It’s honestly very tight between us, but not only between Ferrari and McLaren, but also Mercedes and Red Bull. I think we are all within a couple of tenths of each other. And depending on the track, depending on the tire compound we use, depending on the track characteristics, the wind, the conditions, one car will come out on top that weekend. And last weekend looked like it was going to be McLaren. In the end, it was Max. The other weekend, George, the other weekend, me in Mexico, or again, Max in the wet in Brazil. It’s almost like it’s so tight across the top four teams that you cannot pick one before a weekend. And I think we’re all waiting for practice to see who suddenly seems the strongest that weekend,” the 30-year-old Spaniard told the media on Thursday.

Hamilton’s arrival

Sainz’s four-year stint with Ferrari will come to a close this weekend in Abu Dhabi. He will be replaced by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who will also be bidding farewell to Mercedes after 12 years with the team and a 26-year association with the Mercedes brand. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris, currently second in the drivers’ championship, and Oscar Piastri, in fourth, are aiming to secure the title.

“To say goodbye with a Constructors’ title would be the perfect sign-off, the perfect goodbye. It’s still not a long shot, but it is a difficult one. Being 21 points behind two of the fastest drivers and one of the fastest teams and recovering those 21 points in one weekend requires perfection from our side and probably not an optimal weekend or a bad weekend from their side. It’s still going to be difficult, but I’ve seen worse things in racing happen before, and we’re going to give it our best shot. The title would mean everything to me,” said Sainz.

Piastri’s confidence in McLaren’s chances

Piastri echoed similar sentiments to Sainz, emphasising that McLaren remains confident in their bid for the title. “We are still confident of winning the title. Like Carlos said, we’re still in a good spot in terms of the lead, but it’s going to be a very tightly fought weekend between probably the top four teams. Other teams can potentially play a role in deciding the championship. So we’re going to focus on ourselves and try and get the most out of our game.”

Sainz, however, is not willing to surrender the fight. “Qatar didn’t end exactly the way we wanted as a team, but the confidence is still there. Of course, there’s a lot riding on this weekend, but the best way of tackling it is just to repeat it and get the most out of our car. We need to keep at least one eye, probably both for now, on our own performance,” he concluded.