Christian Horner Is “Stingy” With Carlos Sainz: Nico Rosberg Reveals Insider Information on 2025 Red Bull Contract

Carlos Sainz has contract offers from both Mercedes and Red Bull. The Spaniard, who is ‘jobless’ for 2025 after Ferrari replaced him with Lewis Hamilton, is suddenly in high demand. Evidently, after three consecutive podiums, it seems Team Principals Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have taken notice. Consequently, both bosses made contract offers to the Ferrari driver for 2025. However, former Mercedes Champion Nico Rosberg has surprisingly revealed how “stingy” Horner has been with his Red Bull offer.

In 2023, Carlos Sainz was the 7th-highest-paid driver, earning $14 million (as per Forbes). Sergio Perez, who Sainz would be replacing if he accepted Red Bull’s offer, earned $26 million. In an ideal situation, unless Perez gets replaced by a rookie, his successor should get around the same amount or higher, based on the driver’s skill. Considering that Sainz is the most consistent driver after the Red Bull pair, he is touted to have a salary that matches his promise.

Audi has done exactly that. RB Advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that Audi has offered such a “lucrative” deal that even Red Bull cannot match. Though Christian Horner’s exact offer amount is unknown, as per Sky Sports Analyst Nico Rosberg, it is not much.

“Red Bull has made an offer to Carlos Sainz,” Rosberg confirmed on Sky Sports Live, as quoted by Marca. “And yesterday I saw Sainz senior talking to Christian Horner because, apparently, he (Horner) has been a bit stingy with the offer. I would be trying to get a couple of million more out of him,” he joked.

Rosberg’s claim means that Sergio Perez’s seat is under threat despite elevation in his performance. This, in turn, indicates the high value that Sainz has built for himself. The reigning world champions are willing to let go of a race-winning driver just for him. But it’s not just Red Bull who’s gunning for the Ferrari driver.

Nico Rosberg confirms speculations around Mercedes’ offer to Carlos Sainz

After the Japanese GP, it was reported that Mercedes TP offered Carlos Sainz a 2-year contract. However, it was a 1+1 year deal, wherein Mercedes would have the option to terminate the contract after the 1st year, i.e. 2025. The Spaniard wasn’t on board with this and asked for a 2+1 year deal instead.

However, neither of the involved parties had confirmed such rumors. But at the Chinese GP race weekend, Nico Rosberg did. “Mercedes, apparently, is only offering Sainz a one-year contract,” he told Sky Sports. The former F1 champ, however, had earlier said that Sainz’s ask for a multi-year deal “doesn’t make much sense from a Mercedes perspective”.

Keeping this, and Toto Wolff’s wish of signing the F2 prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli in mind, a Mercedes deal could be out of question for Sainz. The Red Bull offer, despite its “stingy” nature, seems like the best deal for 2025.