Theory mooted that Carlos Sainz will opt not to pick up the phone to Red Bull

Carlos Sainz will not want to drive for Red Bull next year.

That was the verdict of L’Equipe journalist Fred Ferret on the F1 Nation podcast.

Sainz is out of a job after this season, when his Ferrari seat is taken by Lewis Hamilton.

Possible landing spots for Sainz in 2025 include Mercedes, to replace Hamilton, or Red Bull, if they choose to get rid of Sergio Perez.

Sainz, of course, has a history with Red Bull after teaming with Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso in 2015.

That historical link might make it easy for Sainz to again become Verstappen's teammate a decade later.

But Ferret insisted before Sainz's brilliant win at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix: "Maybe or maybe not...

"He knows that, if he comes back, he will have to meet once again Max Verstappen.

"You know how it ended in 2015!

"Okay, they were young. Their fathers were too powerful. Now they are grown-ups and can deal with everything.

"I am pretty sure that Carlos is clever enough to know that it's impossible to beat Max on this team."

Ferret insisted that the second Red Bull seat is actually a very difficult status to hold. Despite possessing the fastest car, it is a machine which only Verstappen can extract the potential out of, he warns.

"I think the car is not that easy to drive," Ferret said.

"The [RB] this year is difficult to drive just like Checo said about the RB19 last year.

"But Max can drive everything. He won't notice that things change. He drives everything, and puts it at its maximum, and over its limit.

"For a normal driver? Carlos knows he is a very good driver but not super-human like Lewis or Fernando.

"He knows, in that car, he may be able to win races but he won't be able to go against Max.

"It's better to go for another thing..."

Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win an F1 grand prix in 2023, then repeated the feat in Australia last weekend.

He is held in high regard within Formula 1 and it seems implausible that he won't have a full-time race seat next year.

Aston Martin are another possibility, should they lose Fernando Alonso.

Sainz has long been linked to Audi, the manufacturer who now run as Sauber but who will fully enter F1 in 2026.

Through his rally driver father, Sainz has a clear link to Audi.