Carlos Sainz was actively looking for a team for 2025 for most of the first half of the season, and Red Bull refused to take him on despite having a struggling Sergio Perez in the squad. This surprised many, but journalist Erik Van Haren had an explanation for it.
On the F1 Nation podcast, Van Haren addressed Sainz’s 2015 season when he was Max Verstappen’s teammate. Their dynamic was not in the best interests of Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso. There were reports that the two drivers’ fathers were feuding behind the scenes, urging management to favor their respective sons.
“I don’t think they will put Carlos Sainz next to Max Verstappen,” he said. “After the 2015 season, when they were teammates at Toro Rosso, I don’t think that’s a good thing.”
Van Haren also revealed that Red Bull never seriously considered Sainz as a replacement for Perez, describing the matter as “political” and stressing that such dynamics have played a major role in contract negotiations over the years.
However, Sainz still had other suitors to choose from, although none of them were major teams. His final two options were Audi/Sauber and Williams, and he chose the latter.
Meanwhile, despite Perez’s disastrous results in the last nine races, Red Bull has decided not to make any changes to its lineup mid-season.
