“They don’t want history to repeat”: Fans react as Lando Norris suggests Carlos Sainz should’ve signed for Red Bull instead of Williams

Lando Norris, in a recent interview with Sky Sports F1, stated that he believes Carlos Sainz should have signed for Red Bull instead of Williams. These comments came after the outgoing Ferrari driver decided to join the British team next year. While Norris did not appreciate the move, Sainz's decision made sense to F1 fans.

Sainz's joined the Grove-based team after the Prancing Horse decided to bring in Lewis Hamilton for next season. Ferrari signed the seven-time world champion on a multi-year deal in February, leaving the Spanish driver without a seat.

From there on, Sainz was linked to multiple teams for a potential switch, with Red Bull and Mercedes being the big names. Rumors suggested that Mercedes could agree on a swap deal with Ferrari to have Carlos Sainz in Hamilton's place.

On the other hand, Paddock chatters suggested Sainz as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull, following the Mexican driver's series of underwhelming performances. In the end, the Spanish driver surprised everyone and joined Williams.

This was something that did not go well with Norris, Sainz's former teammate at McLaren. He felt that a move to Red Bull would have been better for the Madrid-born driver. Reacting to this, fans on social media shared their thoughts.

Below are some of the reactions:

"They don’t want history to repeat," a fan said, indicating the fierce competition between Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at Toro Rosso.

Another fan stated the same, "Apparently the reason that didn't happen is the Sainz politics, which the Verstappens already had to deal with in 2015, so they want to prevent that from happening again."

"Red Bull would never have allowed Carlos Snr to upset the applecart," another fan said hinting towards the rivalry between Jos Verstappen and Sainz Sr.

Another fan said on the same Verstappen versus Sainz situation at Toro Rosso, "If you remember the Toro Rosso days, you know why he’s not there."

"I think they [Red Bull] don't want 2 teammates fight each other again like they did in 2016 and 2017. They want Max to lead the team," another fan said on a possible conflict between Verstappen and Sainz if they were to race for the same team.

Another fan said on the Jos Verstappen versus Carlos Sainz Sr. drama, "Blame Jos Verstappen for why Carlos Sainz Jr. isn't at Red Bull."

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Why did putting Carlos Sainz alongside Max Verstappen make less sense for Red Bull?

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari at the Miami GP (Source: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz raced together for Toro Rosso (currently RB) in 2015 and the first four races of 2016. Interestingly, this was their debut year in Formula 1, and the partnership was certainly full of on-track skirmishes and intra-team rivalries.

Verstappen and Sainz pushed each other to their limits, and their rivalry raised multiple eyebrows within the paddock. Eventually, the Dutchman moved to Red Bull after the Austrian team demoted Daniil Kvyat ahead of the 2016 Spanish GP.

In a nutshell, some fans believe that Red Bull may have wanted to avoid ruining the balance of the team by bringing Sainz to Red Bull. The Spanish driver could have been more likely to unsettle Max Verstappen within the team and would have been more of a threat to the Dutchman's title reign than Sergio Perez.