Carlos Sainz Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Mercedes or Red Bull

After Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari exit became official, there were rumors of Mercedes and Red Bull being interested in signing him. However, the Spaniard ended up joining Williams. After driving at a high level at Ferrari for four seasons, many saw this as a potential step down. Sainz, meanwhile, insisted that he did not want to wait too long to choose his destination.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Dutch GP, Sainz admitted that he talked to both Red Bull and Mercedes. He labeled them as competitive options. But there were problems.

“As soon as I understood that I would either have to wait quite long or depend on others to make that happen. I wanted to be the boss of my own destiny and I took that decision of going to Williams,” the 29-year-old said. 

Carlos about how he went with the negotiations with other teams:

“I went very far with every single option that I had on the table.”#CarlosSainz | #DutchGP
pic.twitter.com/QZlHlbi5Ia

— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) August 22, 2024

Mercedes was leaning towards offering Sainz a one-year contract — something he wasn’t happy with. There was a small possibility that Toto Wolff would increase the duration, but Sainz was expected to wait until the end of the season before any decision would be communicated to him.

At Red Bull, things were different. Sergio Perez was under pressure, and rumors were pointing towards his sacking. But Sainz’s history with Max Verstappen prevented the move from materializing.

Verstappen Sr’s Influence Behind Sainz’s Decision to Snub Red Bull

Verstappen and Sainz made their F1 debut together in 2015 for Toro Rosso — Red Bull’s sister team. Behind the scenes, there was a lot of tension between their fathers, as each wanted the team to favor their sons.

Sainz Sr. liked working from the background, whereas Jose Verstappen wanted a more hands-on approach. They didn’t see eye to eye, and the same was discussed on the F1 Focus podcast, where Hendrik Verwoerd shed light on Verstappen Sr.’s personality.

He said, “There are very few people that get along with Jos. Especially in the racing world. What I have seen from even when Max was racing in the junior categories and in go-karts, they were not very popular because of the strong position that Jos the father [had].”

These factors possibly contributed to Sainz not being inclined to join Red Bull. He went for Williams, a team whose future he is optimistic about, thanks to the leadership of James Vowles.