There is no denying it. Lewis Hamilton‘s blockbuster Ferrari announcement put the future of Carlos Sainz in jeopardy. The Spaniard, who was the only race winner apart from the Red Bull pair last season, was left stranded by his team. There are massive repercussions to this news for sure. However, no one thought we would be seeing the effects of it already. Many fans saw it during the Bahrain GP post-race celebrations before the podium ceremony. The video of Carlos Sainz looking into the distance after his weigh-in but not being able to spot any Ferrari personnel to celebrate his P3 went viral on social media. Well, let us debunk this storyline.

A video was posted on X, of Sainz after the race, looking around for his Ferrari engineers to celebrate his race result. The video showcased how Sainz was abandoned by his team and we can only spot people in Red Bull gear around the parc ferme for the post-race podium celebrations. However, as reported by Marca, that is not the case and the video is completely misleading.

It was the camera angle that made it look like no Ferrari engineers were waiting to celebrate with Sainz. On the contrary, his mechanics were all there, as well as his father, his cousin, and his representative, Carlos Oñoro. They were just not visible in the camera angle that is going viral on X because it could not cover the entire fence which is put in place to limit access, behind which all team personnel usually stand. So the engineers who worked day and night on Sainz’s SF-24 were all present to celebrate the first podium of the year. They just weren’t visible.

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As wise people always say, don’t believe everything you see on the internet and this is a prime example. The Italian team values Sainz very highly and even though it’s his last year with them, due to unavoidable circumstances, he has the team’s full support. Which would’ve been heightened after his request.

Carlos Sainz makes a final request to the Ferrari before he begins his final campaign with them

Despite his output for them, Carlos Sainz has not enjoyed preferential treatment at Ferrari. Those privileges were reserved for his teammate. However, in 2023 perhaps the frustrations boiled over and we see Sainz Sr. call out the Italian team for the favoritism. The Ferrari man quickly nipped it in the bud and let his racing do the talking.

This is something he is looking forward to doing in 2024 as well and ending his Ferrari tenure on a high as he also has suitors to attract. So before the season opener in Bahrain, Sainz made a request to his team.

He said, “As always, it will also depend a little on the car. I would like to see a Carlos who is allowed to show off a little more in the race than he did last year; because last year, in the race, there was a lot of defense, a lot of strategy, a lot of thinking outside the box to see how we managed to finish ahead with that car. This year I hope, whether I start back or forward, to be able to try to go forward, whereas last year that was practically impossible. I want to have more fun in the race and continue trying to optimize the classification, which is still a point where I want to continue improving.”

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Sainz’s humble request and his incredible start to the season are already brewing up to be a year to remember for the two entities. It might not be visible to most but the support is available. Let’s see if he can use it to the fullest.