Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz together. (Image: Getty.)
has penned an emotional message to his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who is leaving the outfit for .
Following the capture of from , Sainz was informed that his contract would not be renewed and instead he has found a new home on the grid.
Sainz spent four years in red alongside Leclerc, with the two star drivers forming an incredibly strong bond despite going head-to-head often on the grid.
And after racing together for the last time in Abu Dhabi, where they both finished on the podium behind , Leclerc wrote a detailed and tearjerking message about his Spanish partner in crime.
On the app, Leclerc penned: “Straight from the beginning we had a natural bond that was created straight away. He’s a super nice guy, super easy to get on with. Straight away we understood that we had a lot of interests in common outside of racing and that helped us to initiate the discussion, speaking about other things.
“I’ve always said that port brings people together and now I can call him a friend outside of racing. He’s a really good person.
“One thing that he will definitely bring (to Williams), and not many people can say the same, is his level of talent. The talent he has is absolutely extraordinary. And I think that will uplift Williams for sure.
Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. (Image: Getty)
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“And they will benefit from it a lot, as well as a super strong, a very hard-working driver, really good at analysing the situations.
“I just wish him the best. We’ve had some very, very good years together. Outside the track, he’s always been incredible on the track.
“Sometimes we’ve had our moments where it was a bit more tense, but we always came out of it and spoke directly to each other, and we grew from it and it made us closer than before. It was a very successful driver pairing, and I just wish him the absolute best. He deserves it.
“I think the thing that I will miss the most from Carlos is just… Carlos.”
The two drivers shared the SkyPad together at Abu Dhabi for a heartwarming look back at Sainz’s best moments at , where it was clear the bond that they have and admiration for one another, evidenced further by Leclerc’s message.
Sainz revealed that having bagged his first podium for in Monaco, where Leclerc started on pole but could not start the race due to a driveshaft problem, the Monagesque driver still came to the stage to cheer on his team-mate.