Marko: Unable to compete with Audi’s offer for Sainz, Perez ideal for 2025.

Carlos Sainz, currently at Ferrari, will leave the team at the end of the season to make room for Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion from Mercedes. Sainz, who won the Australian Grand Prix last month, stated that he is considering all his options and will take some time to make a decision. One possibility is that Sainz will join Red Bull and become Max Verstappen’s teammate, with whom he already raced for Toro Rosso in 2015-2016. However, this option seems less likely, as Sergio Perez, who currently drives for Red Bull, has been performing well this season and may have his contract renewed. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that they are in negotiations with Sainz, but mentioned that Audi made a very attractive offer that they cannot match. Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026 and Sauber, the current team, will become their factory team. It is worth noting that Sainz has previously worked with Andreas Seidl, the head of Audi’s Formula 1 team, during his time at McLaren. Marko also praised Perez’s performance this season and stated that if he continues to do well, he will be the best option for Red Bull in 2025. Daniel Ricciardo, who currently races for VCARB (formerly known as AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso), has also been considered to return to the main Red Bull team. However, Marko mentioned that Ricciardo has been outperformed by Yuki Tsunoda so far and will need to improve if he wants a chance at the Red Bull seat.