Sainz’s next destination is unknown, with reports speculating he could join either Mercedes, Red Bull or Sauber/Audi.
Carlos Sainz will leave Ferrari in 2025Carlos Sainz has been linked to various F1 teams
Who will be Verstappen’s team-mate in 2025?
If Sainz was to join Red Bull next season, it would mean their current driver Sergio Perez, who is out of contract next season, would have to vacate his seat.
The Mexican driver’s form has fluctuated at Red Bull, often struggling to match the pace of his team-mate Max Verstappen.
In a Monaco Grand Prix Q&A for the BBC, F1 pundit Andrew Benson discussed Red Bull’s driver ‘conundrum’ and who could claim the coveted seat.
“Perez started the season well - he was second behind Verstappen in three of the first four races. But he failed to capitalise in Australia when Verstappen retired, and has had difficult weekends in Miami and Imola,” Benson wrote.
Has Sergio Perez done enough to secure a contract for 2025?
“The problem for Red Bull is what they do about it. Do they keep Perez next season, knowing now what his performance level is? Can they afford to if, as seems to be happening, the field is closing up?
“But if they decide not to, who do they take instead? Out of the top drivers, the only free agent is Carlos Sainz, who is leaving Ferrari at the end of this season to make way for Lewis Hamilton. “But there was tension when he was team-mates with Verstappen at Toro Rosso when they were both rookies in 2015.