Mismatch Between Responses Of Red Bull Bosses As They Address Carlos Sainz Situation
F1Friday, 19 April 2024 at 22:30
As opposed to Helmut Marko, Christian Horner has suggested that Red Bull isn't aware of the offer that Carlos Sainz has received from Audi.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Carlos Sainz has been driving exceptionally well in the three races he has participated in. In fact, he has stood on the podium in every single one of them.
Being out of contract at the end of this season, the 29-year-old may be the most attractive driver on the market and definitely one that Red Bull would consider.
In his recent interview with Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Marko revealed that the team from Milton Keynes has been talking to the Spanish driver.
However, the 80-year-old also suggested he knows about an offer from Audi to the Ferrari driver, saying, "But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can't match or beat."
This statement doesn't match the response of Red Bull's team principal following the first practice session at Shanghai International Circuit, who told Sky Sports:
"First of all, we're not aware of the offer that he's been made. But obviously, Audi coming into the sport, one would assume that they would be quite aggressive in the driver market."
"As you can tell, with the level of interest that we've had from other drivers in our seats, for a driver of Carlos's caliber, he wants to be in a winning car."
While Sainz is definitely on Red Bull's list for the 2025 seat, Horner emphasized Sergio Perez's excellent job at the moment, perhaps hinting that if he can maintain his current form, he will retain his seat.
This would match the response of Helmut Marko, who marked Perez Red Bull's "best option" with the current level of performance. Horner added:
"Whilst we have one seat available for next year, his target inevitably is that seat. But his problem is that Checo is in that seat, and he's doing a very good job."
"For us as a team, it's a luxury situation, but one that we don't need to rush and we'll take out time to consider the options."
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