Sainz eyes 'perfect goodbye' after completing Ferrari wish

Carlos Sainz is eyeing the "perfect goodbye" at Ferrari, by helping the team win the F1 constructors' championship. 

The Spaniard's victory in Mexico City completed his wish of winning one final race for the Maranello-based outfit, with Sainz now targeting another goal.

It has been a tricky year for the 30-year-old, who discovered before the season even began that he would be losing his seat next year to Lewis Hamilton. 

For Sainz, it created the problem of having to find a new team for 2025, whilst also delivering his maximum for Ferrari. 

At times, it has been difficult for him, particularly when Ferrari went through its mid-season blip; however, the recent autumn break presented him with an opportunity to reset. 

"It's been a strange year in that sense and also quite a challenging one," said Sainz. "The year started really well, then we went through a tough period of development. 

"Then suddenly we managed to make the car competitive again, and I saw that winning chances were again still [available]. But obviously Charles took those wins in Monza and Austin, and I felt like, I also [want to] win before I leave, and I want to make that happen. 

"I think it could have been quite easy for me to lose a bit of motivation and to lose a bit of the drive to make it happen, but those three weeks of break served me well. 

"I managed to regain a bit of the determination and the drive that I needed for these last five, six races of the season."

New Ferrari farewell goal

Sainz has been in fine form since the three-week autumn break, with him having finished second in the United States Grand Prix, before winning in Mexico. 

He has continued to work on himself despite his looming Ferrari exit and is proud of how he has put himself in a position to continue fighting for race wins. 

With Ferrari currently on a two-race winning streak and now just 29 points behind McLaren, Sainz is targeting the perfect farewell.

Sainz added: "I managed to put myself in a position with improving my driving, my confidence with the car, to put myself in a position to, first, win in Austin that I didn't make happen – Charles did a great job there – and put myself in a position to win in Mexico City and this one I was just going to make sure it didn't slip from my hands. 

"Not an easy one, not an easy year, but I'm proud of the way that I've managed to keep myself in it and obviously trying to help the team now, as much as I can, to win the constructors' because it would be the perfect goodbye for me."