F1 Rumor: Sainz Jr. to Red Bull in 2025

If Sergio Perez fails to perform as expected in 2024, and if Daniel Riccardo fails to impress at Alpha Tauri, Carlos Sainz Jr. is rumored in play at Red Bull.

–By Mark Cipolloni–

While Ferrari is rumored to be negotiating a lucrative 5-year contract extension with Charles Leclerc starting in 2025, his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. is rumored to be playing the field to see what opportunities there are.

With his contract expiring at the end of 2024, rumors are starting to circulate as to where Carlos Sainz might find himself in 2025, as he reportedly has several options.

It’s already well documented that 29-year-old Sainz Jr. supposedly has a pre-contract with Audi, who’ll enter Formula 1 in 2026 when they’ll acquire a 75 percent stake in Sauber.

Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport are rumoring that should Ferrari and Sainz part ways, then Red Bull could be a potential new home for the Spanish driver.

Red Bull are currently set to have a seat available in 2025, as Sergio Perez’s contract expires at the end of 2024 and isn’t expected to be extended, and Daniel Ricciardo has yet to make any real impression at AlphaTauri so far.

Sainz raced for Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) from 2015 until almost the end of 2017. During that time, he was Max Verstappen’s teammate for one year, so Red Bull know him well.

Sainz completed his move to Renault with four races remaining in 2017 and parted ways with the Red Bull family.

When he joined Toro Rosso, Sainz partnered Max Verstappen, with the duo having made their debuts together.

While Verstappen beat Sainz Jr. at Toro Rosso like he beats all teammates, the gaps between the two drivers was not as big as the one between Verstappen and his current Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

In fact, he’s believed to be a serious option to replace Perez, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner reportedly being a fan of the Spaniard.