Carlos Sainz was a driver in demand at the start of the 2024 season after it was announced he would be leaving Ferrari to make way for 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. At the time, it was rumoured that multiple teams, including Red Bull Racing, were interested in signing him. However, he ended up at Williams Racing for the 2025 season.
In a recently released podcast, El Cafelito Podcast from Chininguito inside, Sainz opened up on his talks with Red Bull and just why they decided not to sign him and instead proceed with rookie, Liam Lawson, for the 2025 season.
Carlos Sainz opening up on his talks with Red Bull
During the El Cafelito Podcast, Sainz opened up on his 2024 talks with Red Bull, which ultimately broke down, saying, “I spoke with Red Bull, but they didn’t want me. For various reasons, we couldn’t reach an agreement. People who know about F1 probably know why Red Bull didn’t want me. I have nothing against them or their decision-making.”
Carlos Sainz Snr – who is considering a push for FIA presidency – spoke with Kronen Zeitung where he revealed how he would have liked to see his son race for Red Bull, saying, “I would have liked to see him next to Max in the Red Bull. Unfortunatley, it didn’t happen”.
Despite the Sainz party making it clear they intended to secure the second Red Bull seat, it was announced in June of 2024 that he would be a Williams racing driver for the 2025 season.
🚨BREAKING: Carlos Sainz to join Williams in 2025, on a multi-year deal!#F1 pic.twitter.com/tlmWWICxcf
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 29, 2024
Since being announced as a Williams driver, Sainz has added a lot of experience to the team, working alongside team principal James Vowles and teammate Alex Albon, to help build the Williams team towards a strong future.
Why Red Bull decided not to sign Sainz and instead sign a rookie
To begin the F1 2025 season, Red Bull opted for a driver lineup of 4-time world champion Max Verstappen and rookie Liam Lawson, opting against Sainz, who began his career at the Red Bull sister team, then named Toro Rosso, alongside Max Verstappen.
In the podcast, Sainz hinted at issues he faced with Verstappen by saying, “People who know about F1 probably know why Red Bull didn’t want me”.
Sainz and Verstappen never saw eye to eye whilst being teammates at Toro Rosso for the 2015 season, however tensions ran higher in the 2016 season when Verstappen made several radio calls to voice his frustration at being stuck behind Sainz’s Toro Rosso during the Australian Grand Prix. Max eventually made contact in an attempt to pass his teammate, resulting in him finishing 10th.
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Just 4 races into the 2016 a seat opened up at Red Bull after Daniil Kvyat was demoted, however, it was Verstappen who got the nod for the seat, which resulted in the driver’s career taking a different route. Sainz left Toro Rosso at the end of the 2017 season to race for Renault. His career later took him to McLaren and Ferrari before joining Williams for the 2025 season following his breakdown in talks with Red Bull Racing.
