Overlooked by Red Bull for F1 2025 with the team wanting a support act for Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz says he cannot understand why any team wouldn’t want two drivers “who push each other”.

Sainz was informed early last year that the 2024 campaign would be his last with Ferrari as they would not renew his contract after Lewis Hamilton made himself available.

Carlos Sainz: That’s what I would look for…

Almost immediately the Spaniard was linked to Mercedes and Red Bull but his conversations with both teams ground to a halt with Mercedes signing Kimi Antonelli while Red Bull gave Sergio Perez a new two-year contract only to part ways with the Mexican driver at the end of the season. Liam Lawson was promoted in his stead.

Helmut Marko admitted he was loath to partner Sainz with Verstappen as the atmosphere during their days together at the junior team was “quite toxic” while Christian Horner spoke of the “criteria and dynamics”.

More recently Marko has laid out in no uncertain terms the ‘role’ of Red Bull’s second driver, which this year will be Lawson.

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“He should become a consistent points scorer and help Max when he needs to, not try to,” he told OE24.

But wingman, sensational or otherwise, is not Sainz’s goal in Formula 1. In fact, he’s perplexed as to why any team would want that from a driver.

“Lando and I, Charles and I or Alex and I – two top drivers,” Sainz told SoyMotor.com of team-mates at McLaren, Ferrari and now Williams.

“If I were a team boss in the future, that’s what I would look for. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want two drivers who push each other and lead together.”

Sainz revealed that’s what Williams have with their 2025 line-up; shared leadership.

For now, though, he says Williams are leaning more on him given that he’s joined the team from Ferrari with all the Ferrari know-how gathered over his four years.

“One thing is to share leadership and another is the responsibility that may fall to me at Williams with all the baggage I bring from Ferrari,” he said. “I have to help the team find the right direction, but that doesn’t mean Alex won’t lead, he’s a driver who was already in the team,’ he said.

“Williams are treating me in the best possible way because I come from a team like Ferrari who are clearly ahead in many ways right now. From the first test I have felt that every time I have said something I have been listened to, noted, consulted in the factory and it has come back to me.

“The attention that has been paid to me from the first moment is something that has surprised me and is something that I like, because I think that is where I will contribute the most.”

Contributions, he hopes, will pay off in the long-run as Williams look to move up the order after falling down to ninth last season.

The team scored just 17 points, a long way off from Ferrari’s 652, with Albon recording a best result of P7.

Sainz concedes going from racing at front of the field to battling in the pack will be one of his “biggest challenges” in his first year with the Grove team.

“To readapt my head and my expectations to a midfield team, something I haven’t touched for three or four years,” he said.

“It’s not the same to go to 24 races thinking that you can win them than to go to 24 races thinking that you probably can’t be better than ninth or eighth and that for that those at the top have to fail.

“It’s a psychological process that a driver like me, who has become accustomed to fighting for victories, will surely have an effect on an emotional level.

“I don’t know if in the first race or in the eighth, but I remember how it felt to get a ninth place when you did things perfectly and beat twelve drivers who you know you have a very similar car… the feeling was not so different from winning a Grand Prix and that can assure me that it motivates me.”.”

“I’m going to be in a very competitive half of the grid this year,” he added, “there are a lot of highly motivated rookies, but also with drivers with a lot of experience like Fernando or Pierre. It’s going to be a very fun area of the grid that I’m sure will motivate me, I’m going to have a good time.”

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