Juan Pablo Montoya has now urged Red Bull to sign an ‘A-plus’ driver amid concerns that Max Verstappen could leave the Formula 1 team at the end of the 2024 season.
The team from Milton Keynes might even lose both of their drivers in the winter with Sergio Perez out of contract. But Montoya believes that Red Bull cannot afford to see them both go without having a top-quality replacement lined up, especially if Verstappen strives to leave.
Red Bull have Verstappen under contract through the 2028 Formula 1 season. But his future with the team has become very unclear amid interest from elsewhere. Mercedes and Aston Martin have both identified Verstappen as the driver they would love to prise from Red Bull.
Juan Pablo Montoya backs Ferrari exile Carlos Sainz as the ‘best’ driver Red Bull can sign
So, Montoya feels Red Bull should try to sign Carlos Sainz after Ferrari axed the 29-year-old to sign Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard will leave the Scuderia when his contract expires at the end of the 2024 season. But Sainz is still yet to sign for a rival team, despite receiving offers.
Audi and Mercedes have both made Sainz offers for 2025, per F1-Insider, but the Ferrari ace is bidding his time. Sainz is weighing up joining Sauber next season on a multi-year contract, ahead of Audi taking the team over in 2026, or joining Mercedes on an initial one-year deal.
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Mercedes are keen to keep their options open for 2026 so only want to give Sainz options to stay in Brackley beyond 2025. Audi is also pushing Sainz to give the German giant an answer before the 2024 Monaco GP. But Montoya thinks Red Bull should be in the mix to sign Sainz.
“I think Carlos right now would be the best choice, in my opinion, especially if there’s talk of Max leaving,” Montoya told RacingNews365. “If they’re thinking about Max leaving, they need to have an A-plus driver as a backup.
“You can’t have Checo and Max leave because then you have nothing. But, right now, [Sainz] is doing the job. He’s doing what needs to be done. Could there be better drivers? Probably. But I think, in the right situation, Carlos can be really good.”
Mercedes and Aston Martin are happy to bet big to prise Max Verstappen from Red Bull
F1-Insider also reports that Red Bull are not considering Sainz as Perez is likely to sign a new contract. But they may regret not reuniting with their ex-academy driver if Verstappen goes. Sainz graduated into F1 with Toro Rosso in 2015 after five years in Red Bull’s driver academy.
READ MORE: Every Formula 1 team’s confirmed driver line-up for the 2025 season
According to F1-Insider, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will speak to Verstappen ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP about leaving Red Bull. The Silver Arrows are also happy to put a deal on the table that can see the 26-year-old get €150m (£129m) a year as an ambassador.
Reports from Motorsport.com have also cited Verstappen as the No1 driver target of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll. The Canadian billionaire is even prepared to do ‘whatever it takes’ to convince the three-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion to join the Silverstone team.
Signing Sainz would, therefore, hand Red Bull a top-quality replacement for Verstappen. The 29-year-old has won a Grand Prix in each of the last three seasons with victories at the 2022 British GP, 2023 Singapore GP and 2024 Australian GP and boasts 21 career podiums so far.
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