How Max Verstappen F1 journey came close to career-ending move

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Barcelona, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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How Verstappen came close to career-ending move

Carlos Sainz provided insight into his junior career alongside Max Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 25 June 2024 15:57

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It has been revealed that Max Verstappen nearly stopped another driver on the Formula 1 grid from reaching the pinnacle of motorsport.

On a recent podcast, Carlos Sainz made the claim that throughout their time as juniors, it was Verstappen who almost ended his career before it had even started.

The Spaniard and Dutchman were team-mates at Toro Rosso (now VCARB) from 2015-2016 and were both members of Red Bull’s junior programme.

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However, after stepping up to the main team, Verstappen secured a spectacular maiden win at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, and has remained with Red Bull ever since.

Sainz on the other hand has jumped from team-to-team, racing with Renault, McLaren and now Ferrari, with another team set to be announced any day now.

Has Carlos Sainz's Red Bull history prevented a return for 2025?

Verstappen leaves Sainz without a seat

In a recent interview for the Nude Project Podcast, Sainz revealed how Verstappen’s early career success nearly stopped him from entering F1.

"I have a good career in karting, I stand out at 14-15 years old, always in the top 3 of championships, from then on, Red Bull tests me for their young drivers academy," he said.

"If you are not part of one of their academy, Ferrari or McLaren, your options of reaching F1 are remote or you have a father with a lot of money because the jump from karts to formulas was economically very difficult, fortunately Red Bull signed me and sponsored me.”

Max Verstappen could have prevented Carlos Sainz from reaching F1

"I was doing very well, I moved up categories and in 2014 they told me: 'Either you win or you don't move up to F1, depending on how you perform.'

"In the Bull Series, I started to win many races and was close to winning the Bull Series, which was the requirement to get to F1, Red Bull signs Max Verstappen and they raise him to what would be my potential seat, so I do what they ask me at Red Bull and out of nowhere I am left without a seat anyway," Sainz added.

"I won the championship and luckily another F1 seat opened up that in the end could have ended up being for me, but it was something that I didn't know and that Red Bull hadn't contemplated it either.”