Marko Reveals Red Bull Can't Match 'Lucrative Offer' Sainz Received From Other Team
F1
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed his team is in talks with Carlos Sainz. However, there is one F1 team whose offer he can't match.
With Fernando Alonso committed to Aston Martin for at least two more seasons, Carlos Sainz remains probably the most attractive driver on the market at the moment, especially after his performance during the first four races of the 2024 season.
The Spanish driver told the media at Shanghai International Circuit today that he believes his "best options" to still be "open," suggesting Aston Martin (which is now occupied by Alonso) wasn't his primary choice either way.
The three options that remain are Mercedes, Sauber (Audi from 2026), and Red Bull. Asked whether the Spanish driver plays any role in his future planning, Helmut Marko told Kleinezeitung.at:
"We're talking to him, he's having his strongest season in Formula 1. But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can't match or beat."
Rumors have it that Audi offered a very lucrative deal to the 29-year-old driver and is putting pressure on him to decide as soon as possible.
However, it seems that Sainz feels he would have a better chance of competing for the Championship title with a different team in the short term, so he's playing the waiting game to see how the situation in Mercedes or Red Bull develops. Marko continued:
"But we still know him from the Toro Rosso days, even back then he drove with Max. But it really hurt him back then when we at Red Bull relied on Verstappen and not on him."
In the same interview, the 80-year-old also highlighted the form of his current second driver, Sergio Perez, suggesting there will be nothing to think about if the Mexican driver can keep his current form.
"It is clear that 'Checo' is currently having his best season since he has been with us. If he maintains these performances like those in qualifying in Japan, then he is certainly the best option for 2025 at Red Bull."
"He is a worker for the team and has now also realized that the radically different path he took last year in matters Setup chose was the wrong one. Now the car is closer to Max's set-up and that helps him."
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