Sainz ‘not out of the question’ for Red Bull F1 return, says Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said he wouldn’t rule out Carlos Sainz returning to the team in 2025 after the Spaniard’s impressive victory for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix.

In Melbourne, Sainz, still recovering from an appendectomy, overtook pole-sitter Max Verstappen – who suffered brake issues – on lap two and went on to win the race.

After the Dutchman’s retirement on lap four, Sainz comfortably kept Charles Leclerc at bay to secure his first victory since last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, remaining the only driver apart from Verstappen to have won a race since April 2022.

For 2025, Sainz will be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, making him the most high-profile free agent on the driver market.

Speculation has centered on Sergio Perez’s seat should he not agree to a new deal, with focus on Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, and even Liam Lawson as potential Red Bull drivers.

However, given recent rumors that Fernando Alonso is also on Red Bull’s radar, Horner has hinted that the team would consider drivers outside its own stable.

“I think we want to field the best possible line-up for Red Bull Racing, and sometimes you’ve got to look outside of the Red Bull family,” Horner said before mentioning Sainz. “You see a very quick, unemployed driver win the race today. So, the market can change quite quickly with individual performances.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Ferrari

Sainz was once part of the Red Bull family, racing for Toro Rosso from 2015 to 2017 before joining Renault, partnering with Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, and Pierre Gasly during his time there.

When asked by Motorsport.com if he would consider bringing Sainz back, Horner replied, “Well, look, on the back of a performance like that, you can’t rule anything out, so I think you just need to take a bit of time to make those decisions.”

“Obviously, Checo’s been impacted today. He’s had a great start to the season as well, so we’re not in any rush. Carlos is the only driver to beat Red Bull last year, so he seems to be our nemesis.”

Commenting on whether his strong showing in Melbourne, just two weeks after surgery, increased his value, Sainz said, “I don’t know. Obviously, it doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure. My seat for next year is not sorted yet, so I guess it helps. I think more or less everyone knows what I’m capable of.”

“I’m not racing to prove myself to team principals or anyone else. I’m racing to prove it to myself, that if I have a car, I can do the job, I can fight for victories. That’s my mindset and approach, and I’ll keep that for the rest of this year.”