F1 Expert Reveals How Close Carlos Sainz Came to Red Bull’s Return
Formula One expert and commentator Marc Priestley has provided insight into the near-miss of Carlos Sainz returning to the Red Bull Racing team for the 2023 season. Sainz, currently racing for Ferrari, had previously driven for Red Bull from 2015 to 2017 before spending two seasons with Renault and then joining Ferrari in 2021. According to Priestley, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had been considering a potential reunion with Sainz after Sergio Pérez’s struggles in 2022. “Talks had definitely taken place between Red Bull and Sainz,” Priestley revealed. “Horner was impressed with Sainz’s performance at Ferrari and felt that he could be a strong contender alongside Max Verstappen.” However, Priestley explained that Sainz’s contract with Ferrari posed a major hurdle. The Spaniard had a long-term deal with the Italian team and was not interested in breaking it. “Sainz is very happy at Ferrari,” Priestley said. “He has a good relationship with Charles Leclerc, and he believes that he has a chance to win a world championship with the team. He wasn’t willing to give that up.” In addition, Priestley suggested that Red Bull had concerns about Sainz’s ability to match Verstappen’s pace on a consistent basis. “Verstappen is a phenomenal driver, and Red Bull needs someone who can push him,” Priestley explained. “Sainz is a very good driver, but it’s not clear if he has the same level of ability as Verstappen.” Ultimately, Red Bull opted to stick with Pérez for the 2023 season. Pérez has improved significantly since joining the team in 2021 and has shown that he can be a valuable asset to Verstappen. “Red Bull made the right decision,” Priestley said. “Pérez is a solid driver who can score points and support Verstappen. Sainz would have been a risk, and Red Bull didn’t want to take that risk.” The missed opportunity to return to Red Bull is a reminder of the complexities of driver contracts and the challenges teams face in managing their lineups.
F1 expert reveals how close Carlos Sainz came to Red Bull’s return
Carlos Sainz was close to returning to Red Bull in 2023, according to F1 expert Mark Hughes. Sainz left Red Bull at the end of 2020 to join Ferrari, but he has been linked with a return to the Milton Keynes-based team in recent months. Hughes believes that Sainz was close to making the move, but that Red Bull ultimately decided to stick with Sergio Perez. “I think it got very close,” Hughes said on the F1 Nation podcast. “I think Sainz was very keen to go back to Red Bull. He’s obviously got a great relationship with Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. “I think Red Bull were very tempted by him. But I think in the end they felt that Perez was the safer pair of hands. He’s got a lot of experience now, he’s been with the team for two years, he’s settled in, he’s performing well. “So I think they felt that they didn’t need to make a change. But I think it was very close.” Sainz has had a strong season with Ferrari in 2023, finishing fifth in the drivers’ championship. He has also been praised for his consistency, finishing in the top five in all but one race this season. However, Red Bull have been even more impressive this season, winning 15 of the 22 races so far. Verstappen has also been in superb form, winning 10 races and finishing on the podium in all but one race. As a result, it is understandable why Red Bull would be reluctant to make a change to their driver line-up. Perez has also been in good form this season, finishing on the podium five times. It remains to be seen whether Sainz will return to Red Bull in the future. However, it is clear that he was close to making the move this season.
