Carlos Sainz has chosen to open a new chapter in his F1 career with Williams, but Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has left the door ajar for the Spaniard to join the Milton Keynes-based outfit in the future.
After losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton for 2025, Sainz was heavily linked with various teams, including Red Bull.
With a vacancy alongside Max Verstappen seemingly on the horizon due to Sergio Perez’s poor results, Sainz appeared to be a strong contender.
But despite the rumors, Red Bull ultimately chose to promote Liam Lawson to its senior squad, leaving Sainz to sign with Williams.
However, Horner has now suggested that a renewed partnership at some point in the future between Red Bull and Sainz is not entirely off the table.
Addressing last year’s speculation surrounding Sainz, Horner praised the latter while explaining why Red Bull opted against signing him for 2025.
“Carlos is a great driver, and options still remain open with him in the future,” Horner told the media, quoted by RacingNews365.
“He was considered, and in many respects, you'd say there was a real logic [to signing] Carlos, but we made the choice to look internally and put belief in the junior programme.”
Red Bull’s decision to favor Lawson over Sainz reflects the team's strategy of nurturing young talent within its ranks.
The four-time Grand Prix winner, who began his F1 journey as a Red Bull junior and raced for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls), was passed over for promotion in 2016 when Max Verstappen moved up to the senior team shortly after the beginning of the season.
Horner highlighted the importance of maintaining Red Bull’s reputation for developing young drivers, emphasizing the broader implications for their pipeline.
“That attracts more juniors because they see a pathway to Formula 1, and if we'd gone outside the programme, that is not sending the right message, because there is so much competition now for young drivers, even at the age of 13 or 14 between the teams,” he explained.
“That is healthy because it is investing in young talent, but by joining the Red Bull programme, you see a clear pathway that if you deliver, pretty much guarantees you'll get to Formula 1.
“We would always prefer to give the opportunity to the progression of the junior programme.”
Red Bull ultimately selected Lawson to partner Verstappen for the 2025 season.
The TB rookie impressed in his F1 outings when he stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo at the US Grand Prix.
However, Horner admitted that the decision between Lawson and his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda was a difficult one.
“It was very, very tight between the two of them,” Horner revealed to ESPN. “I mean, Yuki is a very fast driver. He’s got three or four seasons of experience now.
“With Liam, when you look and go into the analytics of his race, his pace was slightly better in the races that he did.
“His qualifying pace was very tight with Yuki, and you’ve got to assume that the potential with Liam having only done 11 Grands Prix, is he’s only going to get better and stronger.
“He’s shown real mental resilience and toughness.”
Ultimately, Lawson’s strong performances, combined with Red Bull’s faith in its homegrown talent, tipped the scales in his favor.
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