Günther Steiner believes that there are now doubts within Ferrari about signing Lewis Hamilton – should they have kept Carlos Sainz?
There is a certain irony in the fact that Carlos Sainz secured his first podium finish of the 2025 Formula 1 season ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The Williams driver, who had to give up his Ferrari cockpit to the record world champion this year, made it onto the podium for the first time with his new team at the last race in Baku.
Hamilton, on the other hand, has already won the sprint in China this year, but is still waiting for his first top-three finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix. Expert Günther Steiner can therefore imagine that some people at Ferrari are now regretting letting Sainz go.
“I think that’s the case for some people in the team,” says Steiner in The Red Flags podcast, explaining: “I think management can’t express regret, of course, because that would be admitting that they did something wrong. And you can’t do that.”
But at a lower level, according to the long-time Haas team boss, it may well be the case that some people at Scuderia are now questioning the Hamilton move. Because the Briton has not delivered the hoped-for results, at least not so far.
“Carlos did a good job,” Steiner recalls. Sainz drove for the Scuderia from 2021 to 2024 and won just as many races in those four years. In addition, his triumph at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix makes him Ferrari’s last Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 to date.
However, it had long been clear that Sainz had no future at Scuderia. Ferrari had already signed Hamilton before the start of the 2024 season. In retrospect, according to Steiner, this may not have been in their best interests.
Steiner: Sainz was “a known quantity” for Ferrari
“They wouldn’t have had all the outside interference because Lewis isn’t performing, so the team could focus on racing and improving things instead of constantly figuring out why Lewis doesn’t like the car,” he explains.
“With Carlos, they had a known quantity,” emphasizes Steiner, who clarifies: “I respect Lewis. But given the unrest he causes in and around the team, is he a worthwhile investment? Maybe not.”
He also points out that Hamilton has not only been a non-performer in terms of sporting achievements so far. The record world champion will probably also receive a better salary than Sainz, which is why the deal is currently a double failure for Ferrari. In Sky’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast, he said, among other things, that in his opinion, the “interpersonal dynamics” between Hamilton and the Scuderia were not good. “And if mistrust arises instead of trust, then it’s better to leave it alone. Then at the end of the year, you have to say, ‘Look, we’re going our separate ways,’” Schumacher said.
