Crimson Bull have choices which “stay choice” to probably signal Carlos Sainz sooner or later, workforce boss Christian Horner has revealed.
Sainz was ignored by Crimson Bull as an choice for F1 2025 and finally joined Williams on a multi-year deal after vacating his Ferrari seat in order that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton might make a blockbuster change from Mercedes.
Crimson Bull selected Liam Lawson as Sergio Perez’s substitute for the upcoming season after axing the Mexican following his failure to show round his abysmal type throughout the 2024 marketing campaign.
There was hypothesis that an exit clause in Sainz’s contract would allow him to depart Williams early within the occasion Crimson Bull or Mercedes got here knocking.
And Crimson Bull workforce principal Horner seems to have indicated that’s the case along with his newest feedback on the 30-year-old Spaniard and four-time grand prix winner.
“Carlos is a good driver, and choices nonetheless stay open with him sooner or later,” Horner instructed RacingNews365.
“He was thought-about, and in lots of respects, you’d say there was an actual logic [to] Carlos, however we made the selection to look internally and put perception within the junior programme.
“That pulls extra juniors as a result of they see a pathway to System 1, and if we’d gone outdoors the programme, that isn’t sending the appropriate message, as a result of there may be a lot competitors now for younger drivers, on the age of 13 or 14 between the groups.
“That’s wholesome as a result of it’s investing in younger expertise, however by becoming a member of the Crimson Bull programme, you see a transparent pathway that for those who ship, just about ensures you’ll get to System 1.
“We might all the time desire to make it possible to the development of the junior programme.”
Concern about Sainz-Verstappen relationship
Crimson Bull determined in opposition to a transfer for Sainz amid rumours that the Max Verstappen and Sainz camps don’t see eye-to-eye following their spell as teammates at Toro Rosso in 2015.
Final 12 months, Crimson Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko claimed “the ambiance between the 2 was fairly poisonous”.
“Sainz is, indubitably, an ideal driver,” Marko instructed Marca. “He was nearly on par with Max in Toro Rosso. The dangerous factor for him is that he was unfortunate to have Verstappen as a workforce mate
“The ambiance between the 2 at Toro Rosso was fairly poisonous. With the configuration we had then, I didn’t see a technique to maintain him with us, so Carlos went by means of Renault, McLaren after which he ended up at Ferrari.”
