Why a Max Verstappen - Carlos Sainz F1 line-up wouldn't work for Red Bull

After the adrenaline rush from the fantastic victory at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne behind the wheel of the Ferrari SF-24 car, Carlos Sainz must now also start looking towards the future, even though he certainly isn’t short of options. With Audi’s interest being well-known for months, there’s also recent talk of possible interest from both Mercedes and especially Red Bull for the Spaniard, with team principal Christian Horner expressing his admiration for the performance put on by the Ferrari driver a few days ago.

However, what would it mean to see Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz in the same team again? The risk is revisiting a scenario similar to the one at Toro Rosso in 2015, when Carlos Sainz ended up leaving the Red Bull family due to an atmosphere described as toxic by Helmut Marko.

“It was unfortunate for him to have Max as a teammate,” the Austrian stated two years ago, “the atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. With the setup we had at the time, I couldn’t see a way to keep him with us, and so he moved to Renault, McLaren, and then Ferrari.” – the Red Bull advisor pointed out.

“For a long time, Carlos Sainz lived in the shadow of his father, a two-time world rally champion. He was unfairly burdened with the image of being the spoiled son of a race car driver, and he had to constantly fight to make his way.” – he added.

Ernest Knoors, a well-known Dutch F1 engineer , also wouldn’t view a potential return of Carlos Sainz to the Milton Keynes team favorably, analyzing the matter from the perspective of Max Verstappen and the ongoing power struggle within the team.

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“If Christian feels that Max and Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko are putting some pressure on him, then he could say: ‘Well, someone like Carlos Sainz… if I bring him here, I have someone with whom I could potentially become a champion. He would think like that, this would increase the pressure on Max. I don’t think Max would want Carlos Sainz as a teammate. I think there’s a good deal of politics involved, and Christian is obviously very smart politically. I don’t believe that’s the best or most obvious choice as Max’s teammate.” – he explained.

So, what would be the right option for Carlos Sainz? According to Ernest Knoors, Aston Martin could be a valid choice: “I know a bit about the Audi project. They are very ambitious, but it’s a project that requires time. Ultimately, if you look at Aston Martin, I think there’s a lot of potential. There’s the desire to become world champions.”

“Carlos is someone who wants to become world champion, he’s not a second driver. He just wants the chance to become champion. There’s a bit of a difference between Mercedes and Aston Martin. The team that has a good track record against the team that probably has more ambition, determination, and resources to get there.” – the Dutch F1 engineer concluded.

Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz