Carlos Sainz channels Kermit the Frog meme to sidestep Ferrari drama
Carlos Sainz has distanced himself from the drama surrounding his former F1 team.
Carlos Sainz has likened himself to the meme of Kermit the Frog sipping tea as he watches the drama at Ferrari from afar.
The Spaniard was moved aside at Ferrari to make way for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, with Sainz making the switch to join Williams after losing his seat.
Hamilton has endured a disappointing maiden season with Ferrari and is yet to claim a grand prix podium in red, while Sainz bagged a surprise top three finish with his new team in Azerbaijan.
The 40-year-old Briton branded his debut campaign with F1’s most famous team as a “nightmare” after Ferrari suffered a disastrous double retirement at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
In the wake of the result that saw Ferrari slip to fourth place in the constructors’ championship with three races to go, chairman John Elkann made headlines by telling Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc to “focus on driving and talk less”.
But Sainz was unwilling to get dragged into the internal politics at Ferrari when asked for his opinion on Elkann’s comments ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“How do you say and that is none of my business,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the weekend.
“You know the frog that has the tea? That’s literally me right now.
“That is none of my business.”
Sainz was referencing the well-known online meme featuring Kermit the Frog sipping tea, which originated from Lipton’s ‘Be More Tea’ commercial.
Ferrari chairman comes under fire
Several F1 pundits and former drivers have criticised Elkann’s apparent public reprimand of Hamilton and Leclerc.
According to Sky Sports F1’s Anthony Davidson, the matter should have been dealt with in private.
“It was a very public wrist-slapping wasn’t it? I was surprised and I would be as well if I was one of the drivers there at Ferrari because that could have been and probably should have been done behind closed doors,” Davidson told Sky Sports F1.
“It was all a bit embarrassing. It was awkward to read knowing that inevitably we’d come here and there’d be these difficult questions by the media, because it was pretty juicy. I think it was completely unnecessary.”
Both Hamilton and Leclerc downplayed Elkann’s rebuke, insisting his comments were intended to be positive.
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