Jolyon Palmer shares which F1 seat Carlos Sainz deserved after ‘underwhelming’ Williams move

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It has been a busy driver market in Formula 1 this year with one of the most anticipated moves finally taking place before the summer break.

Carlos Sainz finally brought an end to his long-running saga over where he was going to race post-Ferrari by announcing that he would be racing for Williams in 2025.

The deal is expected to last through the 2026 season when F1 will enter a new rules era, with the introduction of active aerodynamics and brand-new power units with greater electrical output.

Sainz deliberated over his next move upon learning that he would be getting replaced by Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season at Ferrari.

Williams team principal James Vowles had initially started talks with the Spaniard in Abu Dhabi last year and described the ’emotional swings’ he went through due to his high demand. At one stage it was thought that the deal with Sainz was off due to a last-minute bid from Alpine.

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Sainz deserved a better drive further up the grid, when discussing the season so far on F1’s YouTube channel.

Jolyon Palmer felt Carlos Sainz deserved a drive further up the grid

Since he was on the market as a free agent, the chances of Sainz driving for another top team that could rival Ferrari were unlikely due to the limited number of seats on the grid.

Sainz ruled out the idea of taking a sabbatical to see what his options could be for 2026, meaning he needed to choose the end of the season.

Palmer felt Sainz should have been in the running for a better drive given the performances of Sergio Perez at Red Bull.

“It’s underwhelming for Sainz, brilliant for Williams. They’ve dragged on and on. I still think Sainz to Red Bull was the move he deserved, but obviously there are many reasons why that didn’t happen,” said Palmer.

The prospect of Carlos Sainz replacing Sergio Perez

The prospect of Sainz replacing the underperforming Perez grew larger as the season progressed.

At the start of the year, it seemed unlikely, but a series of poor results from the Mexican started speculation that he could end up getting replaced at the summer break.

Crunch talks between senior management at Red Bull occurred in the aftermath of Perez’s poor result at the Belgian GP, whereby he seemingly went from second on the grid and finished seventh.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Although he was expected to be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo, team principal Christian Horner has decided to stick with Perez due to continuity and to give him a chance to improve.

Sainz now has an ideal scenario in his current contract whereby he can drive at Williams, but take up an option at Red Bull or Mercedes should either want him in the near future.