Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz might be facing an unseen problem if he wants to join Red Bull Racing for the 2025 season.
The three-time race winner is looking for a new seat on the grid with Lewis Hamilton heading to Maranello next year.
Writing on the Formula 1 website, Lawrence Barretto has outlined the options available to the Spaniard at the end of this campaign.
Carlos Sainz faces problem if he wants Red Bull seat next year
The Formula 1 driver’s market is going to be the most active it’s been for some time this year.
With every driver retained for this season, eight out of the 10 current teams will have at least one seat to fill heading into 2025.
So far, the only driver who knows for certain that he’ll have to move teams for next year is Carlos Sainz.
Ferrari decided to offer Charles Leclerc a long-term deal over the winter leaving Sainz in the lurch as he waited to see if he would be given a similar contract.
Once it became clear that Hamilton was open to a move to Ferrari, that meant the writing was on the wall for the Spaniard.
However, Sainz has started this season brilliantly, finishing third at the season opener in Bahrain before winning the race in Australia after missing the Grand Prix in Jeddah due to surgery.
Sainz has suddenly become a potential option for Red Bull, but he might face a problem in making that move happen.
Christian Horner will have his pick of the drivers that he wants to place alongside Max Verstappen next year.
While the 29-year-old is going to be one of the top candidates for that seat, it may not be a perfect solution.
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Red Bull keeping their options open for 2025
Speaking about the 29-year-old’s future, Barretto said: “Sainz has plenty of options. If it’s winning machinery he’s after, a return to the Red Bull family would be the best move.
“My sources say he was in contention at Red Bull even before the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
“However, the problem for Sainz is that Red Bull are in no rush to decide on a teammate for Verstappen in 2025.
“It is believed they are happy to wait until the summer at the earliest – and that could be too long for Sainz to wait for fear of losing another project.
“Red Bull are keen to give Sergio Perez time to prove he deserves to stay for a fifth season, especially given the Mexican has shown he can help the team win the constructors’ championship without causing Verstappen too much grief.”
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Who could be in line to drive for Red Bull in 2025?
While there have been rumours that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull, it’s very difficult to see him walking away from the team given his current contract runs until the end of 2028.
It’s the future of Sergio Perez that requires further examination with his deal expiring at the end of the season.
So far, he’s doing enough to potentially earn a renewal although his performance in Melbourne might raise a few eyebrows.
The problem for Sainz is having to wait as long as Red Bull want to before they decide on the Mexican’s future.
If he holds out for that seat but then isn’t chosen by Horner, he risks missing out on several other potential options.
Fernando Alonso could also be a free agent at the end of the year and his manager has been spotted speaking to Christian Horner this season already.
They could also turn to Alex Albon, but his contract runs until the end of next year, making him harder to extract from Williams.
The post ‘My sources say’: Journalist now shares ‘the problem’ Carlos Sainz faces if he wants to join Red Bull in 2025 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.