With Max Verstappen guaranteed at Red Bull until 2028, at least for now, speculation around the future of the three-time Formula 1 champion with the team has recently decreased. Verstappen himself insists he is content in Milton Keynes.
However, the other seat at Red Bull, currently occupied by Sergio Perez, will potentially be available at the end of this season when the Mexican’s contract expires. While Perez may still have a chance to retain his seat at Red Bull in 2025, Carlos Sainz does not have that luxury at Ferrari. It was announced that Lewis Hamilton will be partnering with Charles Leclerc at the Italian F1 team in 2025.
Consequently, Sainz is currently seeking a new job for the upcoming season. Although he is unsure where he will end up, his performance in 2024 so far should secure him a new seat after his stint at Ferrari. He has been linked to Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026, as well as a possible swap with Hamilton at Mercedes. There have also been reports of a possible return to Red Bull alongside his former teammate Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz Sr. allegedly meeting with Red Bull management after his son’s departure from Ferrari. Additionally, there are speculations of a move to Aston Martin, especially if Fernando Alonso’s future at the team remains uncertain.
Following his impressive victory at the 2024 Australian GP, just two weeks after undergoing an appendicitis surgery, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was asked about the likelihood of Sainz joining the team. Horner stated: “I think we want to have the best possible pairing at Red Bull Racing, and sometimes you need to consider options outside of our group. Today we saw a very fast unemployed driver win the race. Therefore, the driver market is quite fluid at the moment.”
When pressed for further clarification on Sainz’s situation, Horner replied: “Based on a performance like that, you can’t rule out any possibility. We just need time to decide. Obviously, Checo [Perez] had a compromised race today, but he also had a great start to the season, so we are not in a hurry. Carlos is the only driver who beat Red Bull last year, so he seems to be our enemy.”
Sainz started his F1 career as part of the Red Bull junior driver program and was Verstappen’s teammate at Toro Rosso (now Red Bull) in the 2015 season. He performed well against the Dutchman during their time together. At the end of his third year with the Faenza team, Sainz was loaned to Renault for the last four races of the 2017 Formula 1 season and extended his stay for 2018. In 2019, Sainz joined McLaren and remained with the team until 2020 before making the move to Ferrari in 2021, replacing Sebastian Vettel.
