It’s not out of the question that Carlos Sainz returns to Red Bull for the 2025 season. Sainz is looking for a new team after Ferrari decided not to renew his contract in order to sign Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz knows Red Bull well, having come through their driver academy and started his career at Toro Rosso in 2015. He lined up alongside Max Verstappen until the Dutchman received a promotion to the senior team in the early part of 2016.
Director Helmut Marko said after the last race in Japan that Red Bull would ‘have to’ consider re-signing him now that he’s available. The 29-year-old has, after all, been one of the standout drivers of 2024.
He won the Australian Grand Prix last month, just two weeks on from having his appendices removed, and has finished on the podium at all three races he’s started. He’s also had the beating of teammate Charles Leclerc up to this point.
While Red Bull expect Verstappen to stay amid interest from Mercedes, Sergio Perez’s future remains uncertain. The Mexican is out of contract at the end of the season and is fighting for his seat.
Perez came into the year on the backfoot after finishing 2023 a record 290 points behind champion Verstappen. However, he’s started the current campaign in solid fashion with three runner-up finishes in four races.
Helmut Marko on the race to sign Carlos Sainz
Speaking to Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung, Marko confirmed that Red Bull were in talks with Sainz. However, he says that the 29-year-old has already received a huge offer from Audi, one that the Bulls can’t match.
Audi will enter the sport as a works team in 2026, having agreed to purchase 100% of Sauber. Clearly, they’re already exerting an influence over the team’s driver line-up.
There’s another obstacle too, related to Sainz’s first stint on Red Bull’s books. He apparently felt ‘hurt’ that the team ‘relied on’ Verstappen during their stint together.
“We’re talking to him, he’s having his strongest season in Formula 1,” Marko said. “But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can’t match or beat.
“But we still know him from the Toro Rosso days, even back then he drove with Max. But it really hurt him back then when we at Red Bull relied on Verstappen and not on him.”
Will Carlos Sainz partner George Russell next year?
After Aston Martin reached an agreement to renew Fernando Alonso’s contract, Sainz has four main options for 2025 – Red Bull, Mercedes, Sauber/Audi and Williams. But who would be his teammate in each of those cases?
Well, barring a sensational exit, he’d rekindle his early partnership with Verstappen if he joined the world champions. Journalist Fred Ferret has suggested he may shy away from that ‘impossible’ clash.
At Mercedes, George Russell is already locked in. Sainz is apparently ‘convinced’ he can beat the Englishman over a full season, and wants a contract that reflects that.
It could be all change at Audi, meanwhile, as the German manufacturer eyes Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg alongside the Spaniard. They’re putting pressure on both of them to sign.
And finally at Williams, Sainz would likely replace the out-of-contract Logan Sargeant and slot in alongside Alex Albon. Depending on how negotiations pan out, Sainz could be competing for the title next year or slugging it out at the back.
The post ‘We’re talking to him’: Helmut Marko says Red Bull 'can't beat' offer one team has made to Carlos Sainz appeared first on F1 Oversteer.