Red Bull’s reluctance to sign Sainz has left many baffled, with the Spaniard matching Charles Leclerc across most race weekends and securing two victories in his final season with Ferrari.
According to Helmut Marko however, Sainz was not an option for the team due to his former rivalry with Verstappen during their time at Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso (now VCARB).
It had also been widely reported that the reunion was off the cards due to a fractured relationship between the two F1 stars' fathers, Jos Verstappen and rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr.
In a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Sainz revealed that there is in fact no problem between himself and Verstappen in his eyes, providing a fascinating insight into his talks with Red Bull on the issue.
"I think I would get on well with him. We were 16 and 19 at the time. We've matured a lot since then," Sainz said, reflecting on his past experience as Verstappen's team-mate.
"At Toro Rosso, they put you in a team and say: fight against each other, then we'll see who's the best and who gets to go to Red Bull! That's the reason Toro Rosso exists.
"You don't drive together for the team championship, otherwise the behaviour of the two drivers would change completely.