Red Bull has closed the door on Carlos Sainz as a potential partner for Max Verstappen next season, with Sergio Pérez signing a new two-year contract extension that will keep the Mexican with the team until at least 2026.
In a press release announcing the news, the reigning champions stressed the importance of “continuity and stability” within the team, language that will be interpreted as a not-so-thinly-veiled message about the future of Verstappen himself, not to mention of the tumult of the past five months in the wake of the controversy surrounding team boss Christian Horner.
Horner, 50, was accused of controlling and coercive behavior by a female colleague earlier this year, prompting an internal investigation by Red Bull’s parent company in Austria. A specialist lawyer was appointed to investigate the claims and this was found in Horner’s favour, with Red Bull GmBH rejecting the claim. The employee in question was subsequently suspended, but has appealed the outcome of the investigation.
The commotion not only put enormous pressure on Horner – with Verstappen’s father Jos publicly calling for the Englishman’s resignation – but also raised questions about Verstappen’s future.
The three-time world champion is under contract with Red Bull until 2028 but is being assiduously courted by Mercedes, who have delayed appointing a replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, partly to see if they can win the world champion from Red. Taurus.
Hamilton’s defection to Ferrari to replace Sainz opened the possibility of the Spaniard returning to the Red Bull family, having driven for sister team Toro Rosso from 2015 to 2017. But if he does that now, it will be as a replacement for Verstappen.
Verstappen has so far downplayed rumors about his departure. He said in Miami last month that he was happy with Red Bull “at the moment” and stressed that for him the most important thing was team harmony and the car’s competitiveness.
“In the end, it’s not about money for me,” said the Dutch driver. “I am of course very happy with what I have with the team. It is very important to have the fastest car, and of course a good environment. That’s what we currently have, and that’s what I asked for. As long as the environment is good and we have the fastest car, it’s quite easy.”
“I know that if I drive for P5 or P6, you get quite grumpy with yourself. So in the end it is always about performance. I mean, everyone knows that, Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team principal] know that too.”
A departure in 2026 is more likely if Verstappen wants to leave
It is thought that if Verstappen does eventually leave for Mercedes, he is much more likely to do so in 2026, when new technical regulations come into effect. That’s realistically the next chance for Mercedes to be truly competitive, given how far behind they currently are. That said, there will be some interest in how Red Bull will fare over the next two months given the increased competitiveness of McLaren and Ferrari.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc have won two of the last three races, and while Verstappen still has a healthy lead in the drivers’ standings, the title race suddenly looks much more interesting. Red Bull hopes to show Verstappen and the world this weekend that they are still the team to beat in Canada.
In its release on Pérez – who could only qualify 18th last time out in Monaco before suffering a horrific crash on the opening lap – Red Bull noted that the Mexican, 34, enjoyed his most successful season in Formula 1 last year and finished second among the drivers. ‘championship. It was the first time the team had ever achieved a one-two in the Drivers’ Championship.
Horner emphasized his desire to continue the link together. “Continuity and stability are important to the team and Checo and Max are a successful and robust partnership, securing our first ever one-two for the team in the championship last year,” he said. “Checo has started 2024 strongly with second places in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan and then its podium in China. The last few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we have confidence in Checo and look forward to his return to the proven form and performance we see so often.
“Last year was a unicorn season and we will have to work hard to retain our titles, but we are confident in our line-up and with the team as a whole, which is imperative in what is shaping up to be a hard-fought championship this season. years.”
Pérez, who has won five races since joining Red Bull in 2020, added: “I would like to thank everyone for all the trust they have placed in me. It’s a lot and I want to pay it back with excellent results on the track. off track. I think we still have a lot of work to do, we have a lot more championships to win together.”
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