Carlos Sainz’s four-year stint with Ferrari came to an end earlier this month, with the Spaniard all set to join Williams. It will undoubtedly be a step down since Williams is nowhere close to fighting at the front — something he got quite used to at his previous team. Peter Windsor recently expressed his disappointment over the same.
Windsor, an F1 journalist and former manager, believes Sainz would have excelled alongside Max Verstappen. According to him, the two would have been compatible, and their past issues during their time together at Toro Rosso (the former name of Red Bull’s sister team) would not have been a problem.
Sainz’s maturity and intelligence, coupled with the fact that he likely wouldn’t have outshone Verstappen, would have made for a strong pairing for Red Bull, Windsor insisted.
“Carlos is much more mature… a polished, mature, perfect other driver to Max,” Windsor said on Cameron’s YouTube channel. He highlighted that Sainz’s return to the Red Bull family would have been under vastly improved circumstances.
“It’s going to really hurt me to see Carlos climbing into a Williams every race, it really is, what a waste of a talent?” Windsor added.
Admittedly, the heart of the alleged conflict between Verstappen and Sainz during their Toro Rosso days in 2015 and 2016 lay with their fathers, Jos and Carlos Sr. Jos reportedly voiced frustration over decisions he believed disadvantaged his son, such as tire strategies and session timing.
These complaints led Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko to grant Verstappen’s camp more autonomy in decision-making, further straining relations within the team. Sainz left Toro Rosso in 2017, joining Renault before moving to McLaren and eventually Ferrari.
Liam Lawson chosen to keep Red Bull stable
To avoid reopening old wounds, Red Bull chose to sign Liam Lawson, their academy driver, to partner with the Dutchman in 2025. This move ensured Verstappen remained the unchallenged leader of the team, aligning with Red Bull’s recent approach to managing driver pairings.
BREAKING: Liam Lawson to race for Red Bull in 2025 #F1 pic.twitter.com/xOf9w4uPgu
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 19, 2024
While Lawson, who competed in six races for RB this season, showed great promise, he is unlikely to challenge Verstappen’s might, at least immediately. At the same time, it also raises questions about whether Red Bull missed an opportunity to field a more experienced and well-rounded driver like Sainz.
The Madrid-born driver will be on an uphill battle at Williams, a team that has spent the last few years languishing at the back end of the grid. His leadership and insight could help them improve, but significant progress won’t come overnight.
Sainz could find himself in a position where he must either endure years of rebuilding or seize the first opportunity to join a more competitive team.
