Sainz Could Fight Verstappen 'On Equal Terms' According To Perez Sala

Wednesday, 20 March 2024 at 21:00

Former F1 driver and team principal of HRT, Luis Perez Sala, suggested that Carlos Sainz could challenge the triple World Champion "on equal terms."

Carlos Sainz will be leaving Ferrari at the end of this season. While the team from Maranello chose Charles Leclerc over him, Sainz proved with his results during last season that he belongs to the top drivers on the grid.

The Spaniard doesn't have a seat, as the announcement of his replacement by Lewis Hamilton caught him off guard. However, Perez Sala suggested he is currently the best possible option on the driver market for any team.

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Asked whether he believed that Sainz could potentially challenge Verstappen if he got the seat in the team from Milton Keynes, Perez Sala told AS:

"He is a great driver, and I believe he could fight Max on equal terms. He would have a formidable car and has more than enough qualities to be there. I think it would be a very nice challenge for him."

Sainz, however, isn't the only Spanish driver on the market at the moment. The double World Champion Fernando Alonso also has his contract expiring at the end of this season, and he hasn't yet decided whether he wants to continue with Aston Martin.

"Yes, the next few months are going to be very entertaining. Of course, Fernando could interest the big teams because we already know what kind of driver he is."

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said his team would be interested in extending their collaboration with Alonso, but the 42-year-old needs to make his decision.

If everything goes right for him, Alonso could finish his career with a championship-contending car, which he hasn't had for a decade now. Perez Sala added that both Sainz and Alonso could be an option for Red Bull in his eyes:

"Both he and Carlos could go to Red Bull. The market is going to move quite a bit, and until Monza, at the end of August, which is when all the seats are usually defined, we are going to witness an interesting game of chess."