Carlos Sainz Breaks Silence on Missed Red Bull Chance With Max Verstappen

Carlos Sainz Breaks Silence on Missed Red Bull Chance With Max Verstappen originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Carlos Sainz has revealed his confusion over why Red Bull never considered him as a teammate for Max Verstappen, despite his history with the team and proven ability against some of Formula 1’s best drivers. 

The Williams driver, who was dropped by Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season to make way for Lewis Hamilton, admitted he expected Red Bull to at least explore the possibility of bringing him back. 

Sainz begans his F1 career with Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso(now VCARB) in 2015, paired alongside Max Verstappen in what quickly became one of the sport’s fiercest rookie rivalries. 

Although their relationship as teammates was intense, Sainz insisted it was a “healthy rivalry” and that it has significantly improved since. 

“I genuinely get on well with Max,” Sainz told the High Performance Podcast. “We had a rivalry in our first year in F1, but it was relatively healthy in terms of how we went about racing. Now we get on really well. So, if that’s the reason, I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want me next to Max, because I think we’d be a very strong pairing.”

Instead, Red Bull turned to rookie Liam Lawson for the 2025 season, before promoting Yuki Tsunoda after Lawson struggled to match Verstappen’s pace. Both have faced the same challenge many drivers have encountered: keeping up with a four-time World Champion in peak form. 

Sainz believes his performance across multiple teams—McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, and now Williams—prove he can handle that challenge better than most. 

“Everyone’s having a tough time being Max’s teammate,” he said. “But when I was Max’s teammate, I didn’t have this tough time… it gave me the confidence to know I can be up against anyone.”

Sainz’s comments reignite debate over whether Red Bull missed out on one of F1’s most consistent performers, and whether the Verstappen-Sainz rivalry could have delivered fireworks all over again. 

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.