Norris feels Sainz ‘should have gone to Red Bull’ as he calls Spaniard ‘one of the best drivers in F1’

Lando Norris has given his reaction to former team mate Carlos Sainz signing with Williams for 2025 and beyond, arguing that he should have ended up at Red Bull instead.

Sainz’s future was the subject of intense speculation for several months after Ferrari announced pre-season that they will be replacing him with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton next year.

ANALYSIS: How Williams won out over Sauber and Alpine to secure Sainz – and what it means for the rest of the driver market

F1 teams up and down the grid were linked with the Spaniard, who ultimately opted for a long-term agreement with Williams, where he is set to race alongside Alex Albon through 2026.

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Norris was asked about Sainz’s switch and whether he feels surprised that the three-time Grand Prix winner did not land at either Red Bull or Mercedes.

Reigning world champions Red Bull hold multi-year contracts with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but the latter’s future has come under the spotlight again amid a poor run of form, while Mercedes are yet to announce who will partner George Russell going forward.

“I mean, I don’t know what their plans are,” commented Norris, who was Sainz’s team mate at McLaren in 2019 and 2020.

READ MORE: ‘I really believe in the project’ – Sainz opens up on his decision to sign with Williams

“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 [Perez], and that kind of thing, but Carlos deserves a lot.

“He’s one of the best drivers in F1, he’s proven that countless times, and I’m a good friend of his.”

Norris added: “I’m happy for him that he’s still in F1, I’m still happy that he got a drive and that he can try and bring Williams back up. Him partnering Alex, I think, will be good for F1 at the same time, so that’s a good thing.

“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.”

EXCLUSIVE: Late nights, secret meetings and colossal contracts – James Vowles on how he signed Sainz

Alongside Mercedes, the three other teams yet to confirm their full line-ups for 2025 are Alpine (as team mate to Pierre Gasly), Kick Sauber (as team mate to Nico Hulkenberg) and RB (as team mate to Yuki Tsunoda).