Carlos Sainz isn’t off the table for a possible future return to Ferrari, according to team boss Fred Vasseur.

Sainz’s four-season stint at Ferrari came to a close at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the Spaniard falling victim to unfortunate circumstances resulting in him losing his drive for next season.

Fred Vasseur: F1 is a very small world

Additional reporting by Pablo Hidalgo

Sainz came into the F1 2024 season already knowing that his Ferrari career would conclude after this season, with the Scuderia opting to sign seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on a three-year deal.

Sainz had been angling for a contract extension, and appeared to be in prime position to do so, having been the only non-Red Bull race winner in F1 2023.

But the surprise availability of Hamilton was too good to pass up for Ferrari, who announced his arrival at the Scuderia for 2025 at the end of January, pairing him with the already-signed Charles Leclerc.

This move left Sainz out in the cold, but the relationship between Sainz and Ferrari remained strong as he refused to criticise the team for the move, saying he fully understood the appeal of signing Hamilton and bringing together F1’s most successful driver and the sport’s most historic and successful team.

After taking six months to evaluate his future, Sainz has since put pen to paper on a deal to bring him to Williams for next season, but the possibility of a return to Ferrari isn’t fully off the table.

With Hamilton turning 40 before his first race with the Scuderia, the British driver is far closer to the end of his career than the start and, should the circumstances permit in the future, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said the possibilities are endless.

Speaking to Spanish broadcaster DAZN, Vasseur addressed the possibility of the door remaining open for Sainz.

“Of course. We have already talked a couple of times about this,” he said.

“This is a very small world. There are only 10 teams and only six or seven top drivers. You never know what is going to happen in the future, but most of us – both Carlos on his side and us on our side – have to focus on our projects.

“We don’t know what will happen in 2027, 2028, 2029…”

Sainz’s father, rallying legend Carlos Sainz Snr., was also asked about the possibility as he spoke to DAZN after the race.

“Tomorrow is at Williams and the future is unknown to anyone,” he said.

“What is clear to me is that as he has shown this year he won’t give up, he will continue to fight and give his all and, in a few years time, we will see where he is going.

“It’s been a nice period. I think he has given everything he had and he has had a difficult year this year. He leaves with his head held high and with a podium, which is important.

“In the future, what he has always done is to keep fighting. Now he is going to a team where he will try to improve the team and take it forward, get good results, and keep fighting in his career to fight for what he really wants, which is a World Championship.”

Carlos Sainz sums up ’emotional’ final laps with Ferrari

Sainz gave it everything for Ferrari until his very final lap, attempting to hunt down race leader Lando Norris to make a move that would have secured the Constructors’ Championship for the Italian squad.

But, having fallen short, Sainz spoke of the emotions he was feeling throughout his final day in red.

“Strange. A bit emotional, I’m not going to lie,” he said, while speaking to the media including PlanetF1.com, after the chequered flag.

“Probably, I would say it was more emotional the last time that I jumped in the car, in the grid. I knew that was obviously going to be my last race with a group of people that I’ve enjoyed these last four years.

“The last time that I would jump in a Ferrari car, probably, and I was just feeling emotional. I tried to remind myself to try and enjoy the race as much as possible and to give the absolute maximum for this team.”

With Sainz switching to the Williams car immediately for the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, he revealed that he had tried to pay attention to the handling of the SF-24 in order to be able to bring that knowledge across to his new team.

“I’m not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team and trying to, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, remember how this feels,” he said.

“Because [Monday] and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good?

“Because I know probably what I’m going to find tomorrow and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car.

“So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead. I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me. Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red.

“We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”