Former F1 driver and Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle believes it would be a terrible injustice if Carlos Sainz finds himself without a competitive drive in 2019.
The 23-year-old Spaniard remains contracted to Red Bull and appears on paper as the most obvious choice to fill in the seat that Daniel Ricciardo will vacate at the end of the season as the Aussie moves to Renault, Sainz's current team.
However, reports have emerged that the Milton Keynes-based outfit could prefer Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly to the 26-year-old Sainz in order to comply with Max Verstappen's desire not to be paired with his former Toro Rosso team mate next season.
Should Red Bull release Sainz, he could find his way to McLaren, with team boss Zak Brown taking a keen interest in the Spaniard.
Either way, Martin Brundle - and indeed the majority of F1's paddock pundits - want to see Sainz with a competitive ride, or F1 will make a mockery of itself.
"If Carlos Sainz doesn’t get a strong drive in F1 next year it will be a travesty, annoy me intensely, and reflect badly on F1," Brundle said in a message posted on Twitter.
We couldn't agree more…
If @Carlossainz55 doesn’t get a strong drive in F1 next year it will be a travesty, annoy me intensely, and reflect badly on F1.
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) August 4, 2018
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
