Lando Norris believes his former team mate Carlos Sainz will be back fighting at the front of the F1 grid in future with the Spaniard proving he “deserves a good seat.”
Sainz’s 2024 proved to be a whirlwind after discovering before the season had even begun that he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari for 2025 – a bombshell announcement that he admitted left him “hurt”.
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As a result of the move, the 30-year-old was left to juggle his on-track performances with seeking a new seat elsewhere. The four-time race winner eventually opted for a move to Williams, where he will partner Alex Albon.
However, despite the pressure on his shoulders, Sainz continued to showcase his talents in 2024, as Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors’ title to McLaren by 14 points. He also took two Grand Prix victories – in Mexico and most notably in Australia just two weeks after surgery for appendicitis.
Sainz has made the move to Williams after Hamilton took his seat at Ferrari for 2025
While the chance to battle for Grand Prix victories may prove more elusive at Williams in the short-term – the Grove outfit having finished ninth in the 2024 constructors’ standings and in the process of their own rebuild – Sainz’s former McLaren team mate Norris was left in no doubt that the Spaniard would help his new squad progress back to the front of the grid.
“Carlos is someone I know well and I’ve started racing in Formula 1 with Carlos,” Norris said over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. “You always knew he was going to be there and he was always going to put up a good fight.
“He’ll be back. Williams have been improving a lot. They’ve not had someone with a lot of genuine experience from a top team. Carlos will for sure add to that and propel the team forwards even more.”
Throughout Sainz’s F1 career, he has developed a track record of helping every team he has been with improve, with Williams fully expecting the Spaniard to be “demanding” in order to maximise what is possible at the team.
And it’s this work ethic, in addition to his on-track performances, that for Norris means Sainz deserves to be fighting at the front of the field.
Norris and Sainz were team mates together at McLaren in 2019 and 2020
“2026 is a year where anything can happen,” Norris said, alluding to the upcoming regulations changes coming into play then.
“Williams can be at the top all of a sudden. So, we’ll wait and see. But it’s a shame because I think he [Sainz] has proven himself enough in Formula 1 that he deserves a good seat.
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“He deserves to fight for championships and wins, and those types of things, and it’s a shame when that opportunity is lost. But it’s not because he’s not got talent or he’s not got the ability, right? It’s because it’s the biggest name in Formula 1 who wants his seat [at Ferrari].
“And yeah, we’ll see in the future what it takes – we’ll see how Lewis does in Ferrari with Charles and against Charles.
“But [Carlos] has proven himself enough so I don’t think anyone needs to doubt him. And I’m sure his time will come back again, and he’ll help Williams fight back to the top.”
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