After getting the news that he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025, Carlos Sainz was in talks with a lot of teams to find a seat at a top team. Red Bull were a possibility, but the Milton Keynes-based team chose to snub the #55 driver in favor of their own junior, Liam Lawson.
The Madrid-born driver eventually penned a deal with Williams, who haven’t been near the front of the field of late. However, Red Bull‘s gamble on Lawson didn’t pay off. After two highly disappointing race weekends in Australia and China, the #30 driver has been demoted back to Racing Bulls.
The RB21’s inherent drivability issues have been highlighted as one of the major reasons for Lawson’s awful run of form. Many paddock experts believe that the car needed an experienced pair of hands to navigate.
Naturally, in hindsight, it is believed that Red Bull are now regretting not signing up a proven Grand Prix winner like Sainz. On the eve of the Japanese GP weekend, the 30-year-old was asked whether he believes that the team erred in passing him up. But Sainz wasn’t interested in such retrospective questions.
“I don’t know, if that’s what people are talking about I guess it’s a good thing for me, but at the same time, I don’t care because I’m in a place where I want to be right now and I’m in a good place for my future and for myself,” he told Sky Sports F1.
Sainz: In a car that Max knows so well. Yeah, I don’t know, if that’s what people are talking about I guess it’s a good thing for me,but at the same time, I don’t care because I’m in a place where I want to be right now and I’m in a good place for my future and for myself.
2/3
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) April 3, 2025
Despite not landing a front-running seat, after four years with Ferrari, Sainz is happy to bide his time in the midfield for now with the Grove-based team. But that doesn’t mean he plans to stay there for long.
The #55 driver has signed up for a resurrection project at Williams. Team boss James Vowles has expressed his intent to see the team climb back up the ranks and get back to their winning ways—with Sainz being a central figure in that project.
One of the reasons why Sainz chose Williams, after lengthy negotiations, is that he sees the foundations already laid out to carry out Vowles’ vision for the team. And it would appear that the FW47 is already a step in the right direction. After two races this season, Williams sit in fourth place, ahead of Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Red Bull have seemingly rectified their gaffe by promoting Yuki Tsunoda to the second seat alongside Max Verstappen. The Japanese racing ace has been with the Red Bull academy since 2018, and has four years of experience in the sport already under his belt.
