'Sainz not going to Red Bull: doesn't want to play second fiddle to Verstappen'

Carlos Sainz will have to look for another Formula 1 team after Ferrari announced on Thursday that Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari from 2025. With the expiring contract of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, and Sainz's Red Bull past, it might be an option for the Spaniard to return to the team that trained him. Spanish Marca suggest Sainz is not waiting for that.

For just over 2.5 years, Sainz drove for Toro Rosso. There, he was Max Verstappen's teammate during his first season and part of his second. Having also driven for Renault and McLaren, he joined the top team, Ferrari, in 2021. During his time with the Scuderia, he managed to win twice and was on pole position five times.

Sainz has never really been the favourite at Ferrari, and it is a certainty that he will not get this role at Red Bull either. The Spaniard did not want to be second fiddle to Verstappen years ago, and this would still not be the role he would most like to fill. So the chances of Sainz moving to Red Bull seem very slim.