F1 star Carlos Sainz nearly became a Red Bull driver

Carlos Sainz, Photoshop, Red Bull Racing — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

How Carlos Sainz nearly became a Red Bull driver

Carlos Sainz was nearly picked for Red Bull

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 11 January 2026 11:59

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F1 star Pierre Gasly revealed how Carlos Sainz was an option for a Red Bull driver promotion.

Both Gasly and Sainz started their F1 career within the Red Bull family, making their respective debuts with Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls).

While Sainz left the Red Bull fold for Renault towards the end of the 2017 season, Gasly remained within the driver pool until he received the call up to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull for the 2019 season.

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Speaking to F1.com, Gasly reflected on the period and receiving one of the most coveted seats in F1, but also divulged that Sainz was a contender for the 2019 drive.

"I did four or five races in 2017, and then I started the season in 2018. In the second race, bang – P4 in Bahrain. It created straight away massive hype," Gasly explained.

"Right after Budapest, Daniel announced he was leaving. I remember arriving in Greece for my holiday, and it was like, 'Whoa, Daniel is going'.

"Red Bull had Carlos Sainz as an option and they had me. It's between Sainz and myself. The phone rang and Helmut told me 'Okay, you're a Red Bull Racing driver at the start of next year' – this was six months into my first [full] season in F1."

Sainz lucky to miss out on Red Bull drive?

Gasly was brutally demoted back down to Toro Rosso halfway through the 2019 season, thus triggering a driver merry-go-round that is yet to come to a standstill.

Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have all unsuccessfully followed in Gasly's footsteps, with Isack Hadjar the latest driver on the grid to sample the poisoned chalice second seat.

Sainz was once again tipped for a Red Bull drive when he was displaced from Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, but the team opted to retain Perez for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Unable to secure a drive at a top team, Sainz joined Williams last year, where he secured two podiums and proved why he should be considered one of the most sought after drivers on the F1 grid.

F1 Red Bull Carlos Sainz Pierre Gasly