With Max Verstappen secured at Red Bull until 2028, for the time being at least, the speculation surrounding the future of the triple Formula 1 Champion with the team has recently subsided. Verstappen himself insists that he is content in Milton Keynes.
However, the other seat at Red Bull, currently occupied by Sergio Perez, will potentially be up for grabs 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 has been announced that Lewis Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc at the Italian F1 team in 2025.
Consequently, Sainz is currently on the lookout for a new job for next season. Although he is uncertain about where he will end up, his performance in 2024 thus far should guarantee him a new seat after his time with Ferrari. He has been linked with Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026, as well as a potential 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 reportedly meeting with Red Bull management following his son’s departure from Ferrari. Additionally, there is speculation about a move to Aston Martin, particularly if Fernando Alonso’s future at the team remains uncertain.
Following his impressive victory at the 2024 Australian GP, just two weeks after undergoing surgery for appendicitis, 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 have to consider options outside of our pool. Today we saw a very fast, unemployed driver win the race. So the driver market is quite fluid at the moment.”
When pressed for further clarification on the Sainz situation, Horner responded, “Based on a performance like that, you can’t rule out any possibility. We just need to take our time to decide. Obviously, Checo [Perez] had a compromised race today, but he’s had a great start to the season as well, so we’re not in a rush. Carlos is the only driver who has defeated Red Bull in the past year, so he seems to be our nemesis.”
Sainz began his F1 career as part of the Red Bull junior drivers program and was paired with Verstappen at Toro Rosso (now Red Bull) for the 2015 season. He held his own against the Dutchman during their time together. Towards the end of his third year with the Faenza squad, Sainz was loaned to Renault for the final four races of the 2017 F1 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.