Damon Hill compliments Carlos Sainz whilst taking another dig at Red Bull

1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill appreciated Carlos Sainz for his 'brilliant' driving as he took a dig at Red Bull, calling it a "compliment" for him to not move to the team. The Spanish driver is set to leave Ferrari at the end of the season and will move to Williams Racing.

Sainz is set to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari for the 2025 season. Red Bull was previously rumored to be a potential destination for Sainz in the future. However, the team recently announced a two-year contract extension for Sergio Perez.

While it might have been a strong swap for Sainz, veteran F1 driver Damon Hill takes it as a "compliment." Discussing his performance, Hill claimed that any team would benefit from having Sainz join them as he is a brilliant driver. He added that he couldn't identify any significant shortcomings in Sainz's performance that would justify Ferrari's decision not to retain him for another year.

"He’s thoroughly professional. I think that any team will benefit from having Carlos there," Hill said. "I mean, he’s clearly looking over his shoulder with maybe a small tear in his eye as he’s leaving Ferrari, he’s contributed so much to them. I don’t know how you can fault him, really. I mean, maybe he’s not as fast as Charles [Leclerc] on occasions, but he’s a thoroughly brilliant racing driver."

"So on he goes to another team. I take it as a compliment that he didn’t get into Red Bull."

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"He wouldn't form part of our plans next year": Red Bull team principal clarifies the situation regarding Carlos Sainz

While RBR has given Sergio Perez a contract extension for the next two seasons, his performance of late has been subpar. The team dropped back to third place in the Constructors' Championship, although his teammate, Max Verstappen, is comfortably leading at the top of the Drivers' standings.

Reports emerged that the team might be looking for a replacement this year, which raised the speculation of Carlos Sainz perhaps being a part of their plans. However, team principal Christian Horner clarified that that is not the case.

"Look, there's always plenty of speculation in the Formula 1 paddock. And, you know, Carlos Sainz is going to be a Williams driver next year. He's a great driver, he had a big win in Mexico recently, and I think he'll be very good for that team," he said.

"Carlos is committed to Williams, and he wouldn't form part of our plans for next year," he added.

Carlos Sainz will accompany Alex Albon at Williams Racing in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, RBR's junior driver Liam Lawson is speculated to replace Perez if the team decides to terminate his contract.