23 January 2024 , 17:42
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Max Verstappen ended Carlos Sainz's chances of earning a Red Bull promotion years ago - as rumours swirl that they could be reunited again.
The Spaniard currently races for Ferrari and has held negotiations with his current team over a contract extension. However, it is understood the Italians do not want to offer a long-term deal as they wish to keep one of their seats reasonable free.
Should negotiations reach an impasse, Sainz may look elsewhere - he has already held talks with Audi but the German carmaker will not enter Formula 1 until 2026. Gazzetta dello Sport reports Red Bull could also make a move.
The 29-year-old is said to be on the champions' shortlist of potential replacements for Sergio Perez. The Mexican struggled last season and is fighting for his future with the team - his current contract expires at the end of this year.
Such an outcome would see Sainz paired once again with Verstappen. And Red Bull would hope that things between them go a lot better than they did last time, when things got out of hand as they competed to outshine each other at Toro Rosso early in their respective F1 careers.
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Verstappen clearly won that battle - he is now the Red Bull poster boy with three world titles and 54 race wins to his name, while Sainz's career has been akin to that of a journeyman. He left Toro Rosso for Renault and later joined McLaren, working his way up the grid to the Ferrari seat he holds today.
As has been the case for many years, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has been in charge of the development of the company's younger drivers. So he had a front-row seat to the internal battle between Verstappen and Sainz at Toro Rosso and, reflecting on that period, feels the Spaniard never stood a chance.
"For a long time, he lived in the shadow of his father, the two-time World Rally Champion," said the 80-year-old. "He was unfairly saddled with the image of being the spoiled son of a racing driver whereas on the contrary, Carlos had to fight consistently to get ahead.
"It was his bad luck to get Max as a team-mate. The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. In the set-up we had at the time, I couldn't see a way of keeping him with us and so he moved to Renault, McLaren and then on to Ferrari."
Sainz is far from the only candidate for the Red Bull seat - Lando Norris remains the most likely external hire with the champions still holding their long-time interest in the McLaren star. Internally, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will fight this season to prove they are worthy of promotion if Perez is to be replaced.