F1 News: Son would have preferred Red Bull seat

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Sr. thinks his son would have jumped at the chance to serve once again as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

That is despite the fact that one of the men who knew the great Ayrton Senna the best – Gerhard Berger – thinks even the iconic Brazilian was not as good as Verstappen is today.

“For a long time, I thought Ayrton was the best driver of all time,” the Austrian told Auto Bild. “Now I believe Max Verstappen is even better than him.

“Max has skills I’ve never seen before.”

Sainz Jr., 30, was turned down not only by Red Bull but also Mercedes when he lost his Ferrari seat last year, instead settling for a midfield cockpit at Williams for 2025.

The Spaniard has already shown signs of frustration this year, but his father Sainz Sr. told Kronen Zeitung newspaper: “He is happy at Williams now.

“There is a team behind him that trusts and respects him.”

However, 63-year-old rally legend and potential FIA presidential candidate Sainz senior added: “Of course, Ferrari is one of the best teams in Formula 1.

“We were sad, naturally. It was quite unexpected. But that’s life.

“Sometimes you are lucky and get a contract, and sometimes you have to leave,” he added.

Red Bull actually brought Sainz into Formula 1 a decade ago with the junior Toro Rosso team – with fellow rookie Verstappen as his teammate.

It is believed Red Bull balked at the idea of reuniting the pair this year as they prefer a teammate structure that has Verstappen as the obvious ‘number 1′.

Nonetheless, Sainz Sr. admitted: “I would have liked to see him next to Max in the Red Bull. I’m sure he would have loved that challenge.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. You could ask Carlos yourself. He might say no to you, but I think he would also like to be driving for Red Bull.”

Sainz jr has publicly questioned Williams’ operations and race strategies after both of the two most recent races in Miami and Imola. However, he is relishing the fact that Williams and Ferrari are often now racing wheel-to-wheel.

“I knew I was arriving at a team that had the potential to one day reach the level of Ferrari,” he told RTBF in Monaco. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have come.

“But it’s definitely happening sooner than expected. I also understand that I can make a difference when I ask for certain things to improve the car,” Sainz added. “This gives me a lot of confidence because I see that I have the potential to guide the team in the right direction.”