Sainz makes status clear to Red Bull as Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumours swirl

Speculation has continued to gather pace over a potential switch from Red Bull to Mercedes for Max Verstappen.

Sainz – a former team-mate to Verstappen at the Red Bull junior team then called Toro Rosso – is not sure how much “truth” there is in the Verstappen to Mercedes talk, but even if such a move came to fruition, he would not be a replacement option for Red Bull, stressing Williams has his continued “commitment”.

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Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Verstappen is under Red Bull contract until the end of 2028, though the existence of a performance-related exit clause within that deal has fuelled speculation over his future, with the dominant ways of Verstappen and Red Bull having faded over the last year.

Verstappen has fallen 61 points off the F1 2025 Championship lead after being punted out of the Austrian Grand Prix by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, bringing a frustrating race weekend to an end, one which started with Antonelli’s team-mate, George Russell, claiming talks between Mercedes and Verstappen are “ongoing”.

Neither Russell nor Antonelli are under Mercedes contract beyond F1 2025, and it is believed that if Verstappen is outside the top four in the Drivers’ Championship after Hungary – the final round before the summer break – he would be able to trigger the exit clause in his Red Bull deal.

Sainz found himself caught up in the noise ahead of the British Grand Prix, the Williams driver asked whether he could join Red Bull as a Verstappen replacement if he were to join Mercedes.

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“Well I think first of all, the things you’re commenting on, at the moment, it looks like it’s rumours,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“I don’t know how much of the truth is going on on that end of things.”

But regardless, Sainz made it clear that he would not be available for a return to the Red Bull fold.

“But Williams knows that it has my commitment and for the next two years and beyond, if the situation allows,” Sainz stated.

“I believe the trajectory we’re on, and I am very confident with the choice I made.”

Sainz spent a season-and-a-half alongside Verstappen at Toro Rosso ahead of Verstappen’s promotion to the senior Red Bull team in 2016, Sainz going on to race for Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and now Williams, having signed a deal which keeps him with the team until at least the end of F1 2026.

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