Suspected reason why Red Bull will not sign ‘world class’ Carlos Sainz revealed

Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has a theory as to why Red Bull opted not to sign Carlos Sainz alongside Max Verstappen.

The Spaniard became a free agent on the driver market this season, but a reunion with former employers Red Bull did not materialize, despite concerns about the drivers within their teams.

Martin Brundle: Carlos Sainz brings a very good work ethic

Sainz took his second victory of F1 2024 by taking victory in Mexico City last weekend, holding off McLaren’s Lando Norris chase in the closing stages.

With the end of the season approaching, it could be Sainz’s last victory for Ferrari as he leaves the Scuderia at the end of the season. Ferrari has made the choice to say goodbye to Sainz in order to bring Lewis Hamilton into the fold. next season alongside Charles Leclerc.

Sainz was a free agent in the driver market for the first half of the year and took the time to talk to anyone who showed an interest in securing his services. Mercedes, who had a free cockpit, quickly disappeared from the radar, while Red Bull never seemed a serious option for Sainz despite its history with the organization.

Sainz was a Red Bull junior driver prior to F1 and entered the sport in 2015 with the then Toro Rosso team as a teammate of Max Verstappen. He spent several seasons with the team before moving to Renault, ending the Red Bull connection. , while Verstappen had switched to Red Bull Racing in mid-2016.

Sainz eventually found a new home with the Williams team for F1 2025, which is likely to spell an end to his recent successes as the Grove-based team is currently in no position to challenge for podiums and wins.

Talking about the future of Sainz on the Sky F1 During the broadcast of the Mexico City Grand Prix, former F1 driver Martin Brundle said Sainz has handled this difficult year off the track with aplomb. Sainz has never been critical or annoyed about Ferrari’s decision to part ways with him, and has said he understands Ferrari couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

With Sainz taking a step back in terms of competitiveness at a time when he is reaching his personal peak as a professional athlete, he has also not complained about his lot in life – something Brundle noted has been noticed by every team.

“I remember doing an interview with him and saying, ‘You never know, you might be back at Ferrari’!” Brundle said.

“And he said, ‘Exactly!’

“The other teams have watched and watched and were also impressed with how he handles this and how mature and how fast he has been. That’s why he’s had the opportunity to talk to just about every team that has a spot available on the court. on the grid, or had a free spot on the grid next year, because they are all interested in him.

“He is a world-class driver and he also has a very good work ethic.”

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Red Bull may not technically have an empty cockpit as Sergio Perez remains under contract until the end of F1 2026, but the Milton Keynes-based team’s assessments of its mid-season options include the possibility of Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson alongside Max Verstappen what was being looked at seemed to open the door to the possibility of bringing Sainz back into the fold.

Given his form and consistency, and his ability to keep Charles Leclerc on his toes, Sainz seemed like the ideal signing for Red Bull for 2025, but that never materialized. Brundle suspects that the relationships between Verstappen and Sainz’s fathers, Jos and Carlos Snr., played a role in him not getting a slot.

“Red Bull is a bit in the background, despite being the only team with actually a junior team on the grid in VCARB,” said Brundle.

“But I think it goes back to when they were teammates, Max and Carlos, and the two drivers and the two fathers. It was all quite tough, and I think that was the barrier to going back there.”

With Sainz’s future now set out with Williams, while James Vowles plans to bring the former F1 giant back to the front, Brundle said the problem for Sainz will be that he has already achieved what every driver dreams of by delivering a top drive safely with the best performance. historic and successful teams on the grid.

“It obviously depends on how good the car is,” he said, when asked how Sainz will do next to Alex Albon, “and they are still in the transition phase to get back to the sharp end of the grid.

“But the problem for Carlos is that he already has his dream ride. He is a young, fast Ferrari driver. What more could you want? So he loses his dream position.”

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