Lando Norris believes Red Bull should have opted to sign Carlos Sainz for 2025, following the Spaniard’s move to Williams.
Sainz was a known free agent after Ferrari secured the signature of Lewis Hamilton at the start of this year, with the seven-time world champion heading to Maranello next season. Until early June, Red Bull had not confirmed Sergio Perez’s future at the team, while Mercedes still has a vacancy for next year, but Norris believes Sainz should have been paired with Max Verstappen again having been a Red Bull junior driver in the past.
“I don’t know what their plans are,” Norris told Sky Sports. “Honestly, the easy one is just to say Red Bull, he should have gone there in my eyes. Obviously, I’m biased, I know Carlos more than I know Checo and that kind of thing, but Carlos deserves a lot. He’s one of the best drivers in Formula 1 — he’s proven that countless times — and I’m a good friend of his.
“So I’m happy for him that he’s still in Formula 1; I’m still happy that he got to drive and that he can try and bring Williams back up. And him partnering Alex [Albon], I think will be good for Formula 1 at the same time. So that’s a good thing, but I’m sure a lot of people would have loved to say that he should have gone to Red Bull potentially, but that’s not my decision to make.”
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Williams team principal James Vowles also admitted earlier this week that he was surprised Sainz wasn’t signed by one of Red Bull or Mercedes, but says he sees the fit of the entire Sainz camp — including his manager Carlos “Caco” Onoro Sainz and his rally legend father, Carlos Sainz Sr. — as perfect for Williams.
“You’re going to go for an individual who will make the difference — and I’m not just focused on how quick he is in the car, I’m focused on how he is as a personality,” Vowles said. “By the way, this also includes how his entourage is — that includes Caco, his manager, and Carlos, his father. His father is as performance-driven as junior. He’s an incredible character.
“The three of them together come as a package. And that’s what we need here at Williams. I think the fit is absolutely perfect. They’re the exact words I told them from the very beginning to the very end of this journey.”