Helmut Marko has already revealed details about Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz’s ‘toxic’ relationship while they were teammates at Toro Rosso. In 2015, the two drivers raced together for Red Bull’s junior team, with Verstappen scoring nearly three times as many points as Sainz did.
Sainz and Verstappen might return at Red Bull next year, with the Spaniard hunting for a drive when his Ferrari contract expires. It has been speculated that he could replace Sergio Perez if the latter is unable to explain his position beyond 2025.
However, such a move risks resurrecting old wounds, as Marko said in January that things quickly soured between Verstappen and Sainz at Toro Rosso.
The Austrian stated of Sainz: “For a long time, he lived in the shadow of his father, the two-time world rally champion. Carlos was erroneously labeled as the privileged son of a racing driver, despite the fact that he had to battle hard to stay ahead.
“It was his bad fate to have Max as a teammate. The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was really toxic. I couldn’t see a way to keep him with us in our current configuration, so he moved to Renault, McLaren, and finally Ferrari.”
Despite the troubles at Toro Rosso, Sainz recovered and is currently regarded as one of the greatest drivers on the grid. He was the only driver outside of Red Bull to win a race last year, and with his latest victory in Australia, he is the only driver other than Verstappen to win in 2024.
Because of his strong start to the current season, the 29-year-old is expected to receive a lot of attention from rival teams in the coming months. He has already been linked with a move to Stake, which will become the Audi works team in 2026, but Christian Horner has lately stated that he could be recruited by Red Bull if Perez is relieved of his responsibilities.
“We want to field the best pairing we can with Red Bull Racing so sometimes you have got to look outside the pool as well,” Horner remarked at the weekend. “The market is reasonably fluid in certain areas. I mean, with a performance like that, you can’t rule anything out, so I think we just want to take our time.
Ferrari has once again been asked to give Max Verstappen a “blank cheque” because the “three-tenths” he delivers to the track are invaluable.
Although Verstappen lost his first race of the season in Australia, with Carlos Sainz claiming the checkered flag for Ferrari, the Dutchman’s RB20 cost him a chance at victory, with a brake fire forcing him out of the race.
Ferrari stated that it costs more to find ‘three-tenths in the car’.
That ended his chances of a second 10-race winning streak, which had begun with last year’s Japanese Grand Prix and had reached nine races.
However, with the Dutchman still the driver to beat in qualifying and the Grand Prix, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel has urged Ferrari to offer Verstappen and his management a blank cheque to sign.
“The only thing [Fred] Vasseur has to do to be disruptive and to be better known and bigger than the Pope is to send a blank cheque to [Verstappen’s manager] Raymond Vermeulen,” Coronel went on to say.
“Just blank. “You fill it in, but he drives for me.”
His fellow Viaplay expert, Kees van de Grint, agrees, claiming Verstappen will bring Ferrari the three-tenths needed to beat Red Bull.
“It’s never too expensive,” he explained. “It takes a lot of money to find three-tenths in your car. You always have that handicap, regardless of which other driver you choose.
“They (Red Bull) always have the advantage. They always put down the two or three tenths.
“Those three-tenths, you just have them when you have a Max,” Coronel went on to say.
Coronel and van de Grint’s comments come at a time when Ferrari may lose the opportunity to acquire Verstappen, who has been linked with Mercedes.
Amidst Red Bull’s behind-the-scenes turmoil, it has been reported that Verstappen may seek pastures new, with Mercedes actively pursuing him.
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