Carlos Sainz senior believes his son would have jumped at the chance to return to the Red Bull family and line up alongside Max Verstappen once again.
Despite finding a new home at Williams for 2025, 30-year-old Sainz was overlooked by both Red Bull and Mercedes after losing his Ferrari seat — a decision his father admits came as a shock.
"He is happy at Williams now," the 63-year-old rally legend told Kronen Zeitung.
"There is a team behind him that trusts and respects him.
Of course, Ferrari is one of the best teams in Formula 1. We were sad, naturally. It was quite unexpected. But that's life.
"Sometimes you are lucky and get a contract and sometimes you have to leave."
Red Bull originally launched Sainz Jr's F1 career in 2015 at Toro Rosso, where he made his debut alongside then fellow-rookie Max Verstappen.
But although many expected a possible reunion for 2025, Red Bull ultimately turned elsewhere — reportedly preferring to keep Verstappen in a clear number 1 role.
"I would have liked to see him next to Max in the Red Bull," Sainz Sr admitted. "I'm sure he would have loved that challenge.
"Unfortunately, it didn't happen. You could ask Carlos yourself. He might say no to you, but I think he would also like to be driving for Red Bull."
However, there is no doubt Sainz may have struggled to keep up with Verstappen if he had made the move. Gerhard Berger, who raced closely with Ayrton Senna in the 1980s and 90s, told Auto Bild: "For a long time, I thought Ayrton was the best driver of all time. Now I believe Max is even better than him.
"Max has skills I've never seen before."
While Sainz Jr has voiced frustration with Williams' strategy in recent races, including at Miami and Imola, he remains optimistic about the team's long-term potential.
"I knew I was arriving at a team that had the potential to one day reach the level of Ferrari," he told RTBF in Monaco. "Otherwise I wouldn't have come.
"But it's definitely happening sooner than expected. I also understand that I can make a difference when I ask for certain things to improve the car. This gives me a lot of confidence because I see that I have the potential to guide the team in the right direction."
