Ever since the start of the 2024 season, Carlos Sainz has found top form and delivered consistently good performances. The reason behind this newfound purple patch is his impending exit from Ferrari. Sainz is looking to land a seat elsewhere for 2o25 and needs to prove his worth on the track. While that pursuit looks to be on the right path, Red Bull has emerged as a likely destination. However, SDPN’s CEO and co-host of the Nailing The Apex podcast, Adam Wylde has suggested against it.
He said, “The Red Bull seat, for a couple of reasons, may not be as enticing as it once was. The first reason is Max Verstappen’s been so unbelievably good. And he’s a tough guy to be teammates with, not because he’s a bad person but because he wins all the time and that can be frustrating.”
The other co-host, Tim Hauraney, agreed with Wylde, highlighting how Verstappen’s past teammates have failed to match up to him. Hauraney recalled the 2017 season when Daniel Ricciardo (the only driver to beat Verstappen over a season) achieved that feat. However, he wondered if Ricciardo still had it in him to push the Dutchman the way he once did.
Meanwhile, Sainz might not be comfortable playing the second fiddle to the reigning champion. Hauraney reflected on the role that Sergio Perez has played and is doing well in 2024 to uphold that position. But Sainz, who has had his fair share of drama with Verstappen in the past, might not be comfortable doing it.
Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen were teammates back in 2015 and for four races in 2016 during their Toro Rosso days. The duo had a falling out before Red Bull promoted Verstappen to senior team ahead of Sainz.
Helmut Marko recalls the ugly spat between Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz have one thing in common – fathers with strong personalities. Both men have played a massive role in taking their sons to where they are in their respective careers. However, that also led to ego clashes when Max and Carlos were Toro Rosso teammates.
Earlier this month, Helmut Marko recalled Sainz’s stint with Red Bull‘s sister team. Planet F1 quoted him as saying, “It was his bad luck to get Max as a teammate. The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. In the setup we had at the time, I couldn’t see a way of keeping him with us and so he moved to Renault, McLaren, and then on to Ferrari.”
Having gone their own ways since then, both drivers have led successful careers. Max Verstappen with three world championships under his belt undoubtedly has an edge over the Spaniard.
However, not many can argue against Sainz’s championship-winning ability. After all, Formula 1 is a sport that demands a driver to be in the right place at the right time to explore their potential. Time will tell if the three-time Grand Prix can get that chance in 2025 or beyond.
