Carlos Sainz has been linked to a Red Bull seat ever since his Ferrari exit was announced earlier this year. Initially believed to be a replacement for Sergio Perez, recent developments point toward Sainz eyeing the place Max Verstappen holds at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. According to former F1 mechanic Marc Priestley, Sainz is hesitant to commit to any team because of this.
Per Priestley, Verstappen will most likely drive for Red Bull in 2025. The Austrian stable will remain a team that fights for the championship. Leaving them for Mercedes [the team he is most strongly linked to] won’t make much sense.
But at the same time, the 26-year-old isn’t too sure about the 2026 season. The ex-McLaren engineer feels that Verstappen is not too confident about Red Bull being dominant after the 2026 regulation changes. For that, he may be involved in talks with Mercedes for a Hamilton-esque move.
“If he [Verstappen] is thinking about a 2026 move to Mercedes, or anywhere else, then that means that no one else is really willing to commit their long term future, which will take them over 2026, knowing there could be a potential seat at Red Bull.”
This is where Sainz’s dilemma comes in. Priestley talks about the offer Sainz reportedly has from Audi. “But he can’t really commit to that until he knows what Max is doing,” he adds. “Because he does not want to pass up the opportunity [of driving for Red Bull] if it indeed comes along.”
Sainz has been driving for Ferrari since 2021. And although the Maranello-based outfit has not been a winning team on a regular basis, signing for Audi will be a step-down.
Why Carlos Sainz is apprehensive about Audi move
Sainz’s best years in F1 have come during his Ferrari stint. He has become a three-time race winner, and has gone toe to toe with his teammate Charles Leclerc, regarded as one of the grid’s best drivers. Audi, however, cannot guarantee him similar success.
Not happy after a tough race for me. I need to review with the team what happened today to understand the pace. We will regroup for Monaco and hopefully there we can score a better result. The fight at the top is tight, we need to continue pushing!
https://t.co/ab0QXHSsrR pic.twitter.com/UOl2tObo1h
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) May 19, 2024
The German manufacturers enter F1 in 2026 through Sauber, a team that is currently languishing at the bottom. Audi has big plans for the team, but it will almost certainly take time before they become competitive.
As such, Sainz wants to take time and assess his options before signing a contract with anyone. However, he wants that team to be a contender for wins, and not one struggling to get into the points.
