Who Max Verstappen’s teammate will be in 2025 has been a huge topic of discussion this season. First, it was Sergio Perez who got a two-year contract extension after which Liam Lawson came into the foray to test things out for RB. Now, Franco Colapinto—the startling revelation of 2024—has entered the foray. However, Karun Chandhok wants Red Bull to scrap all three options and go for an old friend instead.
Colapinto is the latest driver to enter the Red Bull discussions, and Christian Horner leaving the Williams (his team) motorhome in Sao Paolo this weekend intensified rumors of the Argentine’s arrival at Red Bull. But why not go for Carlos Sainz, the man who will replace Colapinto in two months’ time? That’s what Chandhok suggested.
“If I were Horner, I would be negotiating a price to get Sainz into the big team and let Williams keep Colapinto,” Chandhok wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The former F1 driver explained how Red Bull desperately needs two drivers who can score big points consistently, an area in which Perez has failed miserably. As far as Chandhok is concerned, Sainz would be the best bet to fill that void. In return, Red Bull could ask Williams to field their talented star Colapinto permanently.
Yes, he acknowledged that there is tension between Sainz and the Max Verstappen camp, which dates back to their Toro Rosso days when both made their F1 debut together at the same time and were vying to make it big. But Chandhok has a simple solution for that — “get over it”.
“Yes yes, the Max [Verstappen] camp apparently doesn’t want him but it’s been a decade since they were teammates…” he added.
Hmm… If I was Horner, I would be negotiating a price to get Sainz into the big team & let Williams keep Colapinto.
Yes yes, the Max camp apparently doesn’t want him but it’s been a decade since they were teammates (get over it!) & this year has shown they need 2 drivers scoring https://t.co/2nM9bZWzyb.
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) November 2, 2024
Sainz not being a serious Red Bull candidate was down to the earlier trouble he had with Verstappen. The team’s chief advisor Helmut Marko admitted to this earlier in the season, highlighting how both drivers fighting for the Milton-Keynes-based team’s attention created a toxic environment.
Earlier this season, Verstappen’s camp also reportedly opposed the idea of having Sainz back in the team, presumably for similar reasons.
Sainz might be out of Red Bull’s reach now
Although Chandhok’s advice may sound appealing, the Red Bull train has passed for the Sainz entourage.
Firstly, the 30-year-old has already committed to Williams for 2025 and beyond. And although Colapinto has proved his worth in F1 by standing in brilliantly for Logan Sargeant for the last stretch of 2024, Team Principal James Vowles has insisted that they would not go ahead with the 21-year-old next season.
It’s too late for Red Bull to consider Sainz, even though the Madrid-born driver would, on paper, be a solid choice for stability. He’s proven himself as a consistent front-runner over the last four years.
Red Bull meanwhile, has been left with choosing between Lawson, Perez, and Colapinto. Sainz, on the other hand, has his eye on Williams’ progress, as the Grove-based team has ambitious plans for the future with Sainz as its protagonist.
