Red Bull’s surprising stance on 27-podium driver as potential Max Verstappen replacement

Red Bull went into the 2024 Formula 1 season considering their options for the future – but they were not expecting to be doing so for both of their seats.

Sergio Perez was out of contract in 2025 and was under pressure to keep his seat. The Mexican had barely managed to finish second in the standings in 2023, but he enjoyed an encouraging start to the 2024 campaign with four podiums from the first five races.

But as Red Bull’s rivals caught up after the RB20 regressed in performance, Perez began to struggle as Q1 eliminations became regular. The team offered him a two-year contract extension in the hopes his form would improve – if anything, it got worse.

The 35-year-old scored just 49 points in the final 18 Grand Prix as he recorded his worst season with Red Bull. Perez finished eighth in the drivers’ standings while teammate Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive title, with the former’s results costing the team the Constructors’ Championship.

This left Red Bull assessing their options to replace Perez who confirmed his exit at the end of the 2024 season. But it was not just the Mexican the Milton Keynes-based outfit had to consider replacing.

Amid the drama surrounding Christian Horner at the start of the year and the political war in the Red Bull hierarchy, Verstappen was being linked with an early exit from his contract that runs until 2028.

Mercedes had held talks with Verstappen’s camp as they saw him as their number one target to replace Lewis Hamilton. While no move materialised as the Silver Arrows promoted Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Red Bull had prepared for the possibility of the Dutchman’s exit.

Red Bull ‘never’ considered signing Carlos Sainz as Max Verstappen’s replacement

Red Bull had several options on the table for 2025, including within their pool of drivers. Racing Bulls duo Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were battling for a seat with the main team, with the latter eventually being confirmed as Perez’s replacement.

Horner ‘confirmed’ talks were held with Fernando Alonso over a possible move to the team if Verstappen did leave. But the two-time champion signed a new two-year deal with Aston Martin in April.

Carlos Sainz became F1’s hottest free agent on the driver market after his exit from Ferrari was confirmed in February. The Spaniard was on Red Bull’s radar according to journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm, but the team ‘never’ considered him as a replacement for Verstappen.

Speaking on The Race YouTube channel, Mitchell-Malm also stated that Red Bull were not interested in bringing Sainz in alongside the Dutchman. The pair had been together at Toro Rosso in 2015, where the Spaniard beat Verstappen in his rookie season in F1.

“Mercedes were keen to take advantage by openly flirting with the Verstappens to offer him a way out, while Red Bull held preliminary conversations with Alonso as a potential Verstappen Plan B,” said Mitchell-Malm.

“When Alonso re-signed with Aston Martin in April, that left Mercedes’ priorities as, 1) signing Verstappen if he was available, 2) promoting Antonelli if everything went well with his development and 3) choosing Sainz as the full back.

“At Red Bull, Sainz was on the radar but always a long shot as Red Bull wasn’t keen on reviving the Verstappen-Sainz Toro Rosso driver line-up from 2015 and early 2016 and Sainz never seemed to be considered as a potential replacement should Verstappen leave.”

Could Max Verstappen leave Red Bull before his contract expires?

Verstappen will remain with Red Bull in 2025 as he searches for his fifth consecutive title – a feat only achieved by Michael Schumacher with Ferrari between 2000-2004.

But the Dutchman’s future with the team long-term is uncertain, especially heading into the new set of regulations that come into effect in 2026.

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Red Bull will part ways with Honda and work on their own power unit – Red Bull Powertrains – in partnership with Ford. Verstappen could leave Red Bull in 2026 if he is not satisfied by what he is seeing from their engine.

Robert Doornbos says Verstappen will want to be with a major manufacturer in 2026 to give him the best chance to compete for the title.

Mercedes will certainly be interested in the Dutchman if he becomes available. Aston Martin have also been linked with Verstappen, given they will have Honda engines and Adrian Newey designing their cars.