Lando Norris believes that former McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz deserved the chance to race for Red Bull in 2025. (More Motorsport News)
It was confirmed earlier this week that Sainz had signed a multi-year contract with Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant on the grid next year.
The Spaniard had been linked with a move to both Mercedes and Red Bull after it was confirmed that Lewis Hamilton would be replacing him at the Italian team in 2025.
Sainz has won three races with Ferrari since joining the team in 2021, establishing himself as one of the best drivers on the grid in recent years.
However, interest never materialised from either Mercedes or Red Bull, something which Williams boss James Vowles said was a surprise, with Norris agreeing.
"The easy one is just to say Red Bull. He should have gone there, in my eyes," Norris told Sky Sports when asked where his friend should have gone.
Sainz spent two seasons with Norris at McLaren, with the pair forming a great friendship off the track which has remained despite the Spaniard's move to Ferrari.
Sergio Perez's future with Red Bull was thrown into question after a difficult few weeks with the Austrian team, who currently trails team-mate Max Verstappen by 146 points in the Drivers' championship.
Perez, was given a contract extension for 2025 despite not being on the podium since April's Chinese Grand Prix, with Christian Horner confirming the Mexican would stay beyond the current summer break.
"Obviously I'm biased, I know Carlos a lot more than I know Checo [Perez] and that kind of thing, but Carlos deserves a lot.
"He's one of the best drivers in Formula One, he's proven that countless times, and I'm a good friend of his.
"I'm happy for him that he's still in Formula One and I'm happy he's got a drive and can try and bring Williams back up.
"Him partnering Alex [Albon] will be good for Formula One at the same time.
"That's a good thing. But I'm sure a lot of people would love to say he should have gone to Red Bull, potentially, but that's not my decision to make."
