Ferrari made one 'big mistake' with Lewis Hamilton signing as F1 expert pinpoints fatal flaw

An edit of a picture of Lewis Hamilton looking surprised — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Ferrari made one 'big mistake' with Lewis Hamilton signing as F1 expert pinpoints fatal flaw

Lewis Hamilton replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 23 April 2026 19:45

Lewis Hamilton's signing with Ferrari has been labelled a 'big mistake' by an F1 expert, as he weighed up the career of one star on the grid.

Ferrari announced that the seven-time champion would be joining them in 2024, leaving Carlos Sainz without a seat, a displacement that sent silly season into overdrive.

With major names like Red Bull, Mercedes and Audi all being linked to Sainz, the Spaniard eventually settled on Williams for the 2025 season and beyond. While the move paid dividends last year - securing two podiums in his maiden season with Williams - Sainz's fortunes have taken a drastic turn as the new regulations have arrived into the sport.

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Williams have a mountain to climb with their overweight car and balance issues and are currently ninth in the drivers' standings. Sainz told the media that: "For sure, it's been a shock for me, for the team, for James [Vowles], for Alex [Albon], for all the engineers.

"It’s no secret that it's been tough. I could already smell it coming in December or January.

"I started bracing for the bump, because we already started having these conversations of delays, not arriving to that first test. I started hearing the overweight numbers, and I said, ‘it doesn't look very promising to start’."

During a livestream on his YouTube channel, former F1 journalist and team manager Peter Windsor was asked how Sainz could save his career and if he has any future with Williams.

Windsor discussed Sainz's opportunities, especially the one missed at Audi, before ultimately settling on the opinion that Ferrari made a mistake letting the Spaniard go.

"He could go back to Ferrari I suppose, if Lewis or Charles leave. He's a guy that Ferrari I'm sure now with hindsight realise they've made a big mistake getting rid of and would have him back," Windsor explained.

"And that's his best option at the moment, other than staying where he is and hoping that Williams will come right."

Sainz's missed opportunity at Audi

Windsor then delved into Sainz's association with Audi during the 2024 silly season, and said: "Obviously there's some future with Williams. When it was clear that he hadn't got a drive, he was being sacked by Ferrari - big mistake for Ferrari to do that in my opinion - he had seven months to plan where he was going to go next.

"There was at least a five-month window when he could have done a deal with Audi and joined Audi alongside Nico Hulkenberg and would be part of Audi's future and just do a brilliant job as we know Carlos would. But he didn't.

"I guess at the time, as with all of these Formula 1 people, he's thinking incredibly short-term: 'Williams have got more points, Williams are faster than Sauber at the moment so I've got to go with Williams, they've got the Mercedes engine'. And so, that's why he did it. Massive mistake, because he wasn't taking a medium or a long-term view at all of his future, it was just an immediate fix.

"And yeah, he's had a couple of good races, but does he have a future at Williams? Not in the way he would have had a future had he gone to Audi.

"But will he go to Audi now? There may be a slot if and when Nico Hulkenberg stops racing. But even then, Nico's in the brand ambassador role now that Carlos could have had and that ship's probably sailed. I don't believe in any way they'd change [Gabriel] Bortoleto, he's a talent of the future. So I can't see that combination changing, it's a pretty good driver lineup."

Could Sainz move to Red Bull?

Windsor also touched on Sainz's relationship with Red Bull and claimed that four-time champion Max Verstappen blocked a move for the four-time grand prix winner.

"He had a chance at Red Bull, at that point when he left Ferrari, and I don't think it happened because I think he and Max [Verstappen] fell out when they were at Toro Rosso," he added.

"I think the problem was Max on this occasion. I don't think he accepted Carlos to be honest, I think he said 'no let's get a young guy'.

"So I think that's the problem and if that's the case I don't think he'll ever go to Red Bull again."

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Carlos Sainz