ROME - Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, confirmed that discussions are currently underway with Carlos Sainz's camp regarding the possibility of him becoming Max Verstappen's teammate in 2025.

 However, the Austrian emphasized that the Spaniard has already received a "very lucrative" offer from the German manufacturer Audi, which Red Bull cannot match. Carlos Sainz is available on the driver market following Ferrari's decision to replace him with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton from 2025 onwards. The Spaniard, whose contract with Ferrari runs until the end of the 2024 season, has consequently initiated discussions with other teams including Red Bull. When asked directly if Red Bull has indeed initiated discussions with Carlos Sainz, Marko replied: 'We're talking to him; he's having his best season in Formula 1.' Marko told Kleine Zeitung. 'But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi [which will enter F1 in 2026] that we cannot match or beat,' he added. 'But we know him from the Toro Rosso days, even back then he drove with Max [in 2015 and early 2016]. But it really hurt him back then when we backed Verstappen at Red Bull and not him.'

 Furthermore, the regulation change has left the Ferrari driver's head spinning. According to him, 2026 is so unpredictable that choosing his future relies more on chance than intelligence, even if he wants to remain with one of the leading teams for 2025.

 '2026 is a bit like a coin toss. So, even when I make the decision about where I'll be in 2026/2027 - no matter how much you talk to the teams, how much they sell you on how well they're doing with the engine - the reality is that nobody knows if it's right. If someone wins in 2026, in my opinion, it's not because of smart decision-making, but because you're just in the right place at the right time. As for 2025, my opinion is certainly, with the level I'm showing and driving at, I want to be in a competitive car. But, again, it doesn't just depend on me, and I have to keep waiting.'

 When he got asked if Perez isn't ultimately the best option for Red Bull next year after the good results achieved by the Mexican since the beginning of the year, Helmut Marko replied: 'It's clear that Checo is currently having his best season since he's been with us. If he maintains these performances like those in qualifying in Japan, then he's certainly the best option for Red Bull in 2025.'

 Since the beginning of the year, Helmut Marko has been full of praise for Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda - currently a Visa Cash App RB driver - and although considered a serious candidate for Perez's replacement from 2025 onwards, Tsunoda is apparently no longer the favorite according to Marko. 'Yuki has had a great start to the season but is no longer the favorite he once was,' added Helmut Marko.

 Marko also sought to clarify recent rumors regarding the driver line-up at RB given Daniel Ricciardo's poor start to the campaign and his successful 2023 injury replacement, Liam Lawson, still without a full-time F1 drive. Regarding reports of a possible Ricciardo/Lawson in-season swap that have emerged in the New Zealand and Italian press in recent weeks, Marko said: 'With Liam Lawson as a reserve driver, we obviously have a strong driver in the team who is contractually entitled to drive for another team if he doesn't get a cockpit with us in 2025,' he continued.