Next season, Carlos Sainz Jr will leave Scuderia Ferrari to join Alex Albon at Williams. But what if the Spanish pilot had made the wrong destination?
The future of Carlos Sainz Jr has long been talked about in the paddock. The current Scuderia Ferrari driver has been approached in several teams, such as Alpine, which he knew during the Renault era at the end of the 2017 season and in 2018, Audi, which will make its arrival in F1 at the place of Sauber, and Williams. It was ultimately the British team which had the signature of the Spanish driver. He joins a former resident of the Red Bull Junior Team, Alex Albon.
“I wanted to help build something, but I also wanted good results in the short term, and in my opinion, Williams was the best option. But it wasn't an easy decision. Until the day I signed , there were several good options, in the end I had to follow my instincts, time will tell if I was right,” he explained recently.
Carlos Sainz Jr returning to Red Bull?
As the paddock prepares to return to Las Vegas after racing in Mexico and Brazil, voices are being heard about a possible rapprochement between Red Bull and Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spanish driver is the first to speak about his relationship with Max Verstappen.
“If my relationship with Max is the reason I didn't end up there, then I say there wouldn't have been any problems. If the decision came down to that alone, then it would just be a mistake. But I already told them that I think I would get along well with Max,” he says.
Juan Pablo Montoya, who raced in F1 from 2001 to 2006, supports this failed alliance a few years ago. According to the former Colombian driver, if he were Christian Horner, he would go to Williams to try to get Carlos Sainz Jr back, by offering to keep Franco Colapinto.
Carlos Sainz Jr knows the Red Bull house. He joined the Junior Team in 2010, until his arrival in F1 in 2015 at Toro Rosso, after his title in Formula Renault 3.5.
Sergio Pérez, a problem for Red Bull?
If the paddock discusses Carlos Sainz Jr with Red Bull, it has a direct link with Sergio Pérez and his performances. In an interview with GQ, the Mexican driver explains that he had the opportunity to change teams before extending his contract with Red Bull.
However, it seems that he has become a thorn for the Milton Keynes team. Far from his teammate Max Verstappen, breaking his contract could have economic consequences. Recently, Marca indicated that Sergio Pérez's place would be assured for 2025 with the arrival of new partners. This would mean losing tens of millions of euros, which have become significant with the current performances in the team rankings, but also having to pay damages to the Mexican driver in the amount of 20 million euros.
For several weeks, Helmut Marko has insisted that nothing has been decided for 2025 and that decisions will be made after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Perhaps he is waiting for the outcome of the FIA F2 season…
