There’s still uncertainty hovering over Red Bull’s driver line-up for the 2025 season. While Sergio Perez is yet to sign an extension, rumors of Max Verstappen switching elsewhere have further made things tricky for the Austrian team. Amid all of this, Helmut Marko has now lauded Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, who are interestingly linked with a possible switch to his team.
Marko, in his recent column with SpeedWeek, praised Norris and Sainz for performing better than their teammates. “Lando Norris makes a great impression on us, who compared to 2023 is clearly distancing himself from his teammate, Oscar Piastri,” wrote Marko.
The 80-year-old then also praised Sainz for being the better driver at Ferrari. “Then there is Carlos Sainz who in Ferrari, apart from China, has always been ahead of Charles Leclerc,” explained Marko.
Both Norris and Sainz do indeed seem to have performed better than their respective teammates. Norris has so far claimed two podiums after the first five races and sits in P5 in the Drivers’ Championship with 58 points, 20 more points than what Piastri has managed to score in this same duration.
On the other hand, Sainz has so far managed to outperform Leclerc in three of the four race weekends he has participated in the 2024 season. Moreover, Sainz has also managed to grab a victory (Australia), while Leclerc has managed a best of P2.
That’s not it, as Sainz is also only seven points behind Leclerc in the championship despite missing an entire weekend in Saudi Arabia because of having to undergo appendicitis surgery.
Since both Norris and Sainz have been exceptional in 2024 so far, one of them could potentially sign for Red Bull in 2025 if either Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez were to leave the team.
Will Red Bull sign Lando Norris or Carlos Sainz for 2025?
The most surprising reports that have recently emerged claim that Max Verstappen may leave Red Bull because of the worsening turmoil at Milton Keynes. The rumors surrounding the Dutchman’s future have further intensified after several reports claimed that Adrian Newey is keen to leave the side, having grown increasingly frustrated with the way the team have been operating.
Several experts have claimed that if Newey decides to leave Red Bull, Verstappen may follow suit as well. This could open up an opportunity for either Lando Norris or Carlos Sainz to land a seat at Red Bull.
With Marko having attempted to sign Norris on multiple occasions in the past, the Briton could be the favorite between the two to receive an offer for 2025 if Verstappen decides to leave.
