Having been ditched by Ferrari in favor of Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz is ticking away all the right boxes to secure his future in Formula 1 for 2025 and beyond. The Australian Grand Prix was a show of pure class and consistency by the Spaniard to get to his 3rd F1 victory with the Scuderia. And with that win, Carlos Sainz has put himself front and center of the driver market, especially at the best team on the grid right now; Red Bull Racing. According to the Former Ferrari boss, Peter Windsor, Frederic Vasseur has made a huge mistake by letting go of the Spanish driver and destroying what he considers to be a better driver pairing than Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“You have this weird situation now where Carlos Sainz drives as well as he did, has a weekend like this knowing that he’s basically going to be fired by the team at the end of the year or has been fired and this is his last season with Ferrari,” said Peter Windsor while analyzing the Australian GP. “It’s a really bizarre situation and now that this has happened it comes under the heading of – this is against the natural order of things – because Leclerc-Sainz is a pretty good team.“
“There was no reason to change that, and yet they’re changing, putting Lewis [Hamilton] in the car. It’s a really strange situation. I can’t think of a similar situation ever in the history of the sport to be honest, when you’ve got something like that, a really good combination, suddenly you’re just blowing it all apart,“ he lamented.
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However, one’s loss is another’s gain and Carlos Sainz seems to be in pole position for replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025.
Christian Horner is convinced that Carlos Sainz is the best man to partner Max Verstappen
His impressive performance in Australia, where Sainz not only qualified on the front row but also dominated the race, has undoubtedly caught the attention of many teams across the paddock including Red Bull. The Spaniard has clearly emerged as a potential contender for a seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, according to Christian Horner. “We want to field the best pairing that we can, and sometimes you’ve got to look outside the pool,” Horner said after the race, suggesting that Sainz is firmly on their radar.
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“You’ve had a very fast unemployed driver [Sainz] win today’s race, so the market is reasonably fluid,” he added. It would be a significant move for Sainz to return to Red Bull, where he previously struggled due to a lack of opportunities. However, recent times have proven that Formula 1 is full of surprises, both on and off the track. Sainz’s potential reunion with Red Bull would add an intriguing chapter to his career, especially considering his history with the team.
The performance of Sergio Perez in the RB20, failing to reach the podium when Max Verstappen had to retire from the race, has raised further doubts about his future with Red Bull. This only helps to fuel the speculation about potential driver changes within the team. With Sainz’s impressive showing in Australia, the conversation around Red Bull’s driver lineup for the upcoming seasons is heating up.
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Carlos Sainz moving to Red Bull seems to be a done deal after he has showcased convincing performances in both races he has attended in the season so far. Will the Spaniard keep impressing and outperforming his teammate for the rest of the season as well? What are your thoughts on the matter?