Lando Norris thinks Carlos Sainz deserves better than Williams
The announcement of Carlos Sainz's move to Williams at the beginning of the week provoked strong reactions in the Formula 1 world. His good friend Lando Norris feels that the Spaniard deserved better, especially the second seat at Red Bull.
After long weeks of waiting, Carlos Sainz has finally made his decision. Dropped by Ferrari at the end of the year after four years with the Italian team, the Madrid native announced his commitment to Williams Racing as part of a multi-year contract. This announcement puts an end to the numerous speculations of recent months, with Sainz being linked to several F1 projects, including Audi, Alpine, and even Red Bull, a team he was supposed to join according to Lando Norris.
« I do not know their plans, but honestly, the easy answer is to say Red Bull. He should have gone there, in my opinion. I am biased, I know Carlos and I know Checo and all that – but Carlos deserves a lot. He’s one of the best drivers in F1, he’s proven it countless times.
Sainz not really in Red Bull’s plans.
The Austrian team never really considered recruiting the former McLaren driver, stating that it would have reignited tensions between Sainz and Verstappen, the two men having been teammates at Toro Rosso in 2015 and during the first four races of the 2016 season before Verstappen joined the senior team. Keen to preserve harmony around its triple world champion, Red Bull preferred to extend the contract of the Mexican driver for two seasons, despite his disappointing results, rather than taking the risk of internal rivalry with Sainz, who would probably have brought more points to the team.
Faced with this situation, opportunities in top teams closed for Sainz, pushing him to quickly make a decision and turn to Williams. Forming a promising duo with Thai driver Alex Albon, the Spaniard has shown great confidence in this new stage of his career.
I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing starting in 2025. I am convinced that Williams is the right place to continue my F1 career and I am extremely proud to join such a historic and winning team, for which many heroes of my childhood have raced and left their mark on our championship.
His former teammate Lando Norris congratulated Sainz for this new chapter while believing that he could have aimed higher due to his very good performances on the track, the Ferrari driver still having gathered five podiums this season.
« I am happy for him that he is still in F1, that he found a seat and that he can try to bring Williams back up. The fact that he is on the same team as Alex will be good for F1, so it’s a good thing. But I’m sure a lot of people would say he should have gone to Red Bull potentially. But it’s not for me to decide. »
Even though the prospect of seeing Sainz at Red Bull did not materialize, the son of the two-time rally world champion will still be on the grid next year. A grid that is filling up more and more, making the seats increasingly valuable for drivers still without a seat.
