Max Verstappen might have played a role in keeping Carlos Sainz away from Red Bull Racing, according to former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya. And honestly? He thinks that would’ve been pretty smart.
“I’m pretty sure that’s what happened, though I can’t say for certain,” Montoya told Casasdeapuestas.bet.
The story goes back to their time as teammates at Toro Rosso, where things weren’t exactly smooth sailing between the two young drivers. Sainz gave Verstappen quite a headache back then.
“If you’ve got the power to influence who drives alongside you – which Max definitely does – why would you want to make things harder for yourself?” Montoya asked.
But don’t get it twisted. Montoya doesn’t see this as Verstappen being scared of competition.
“It’s not about fear at all. It’s just being smart. Why create drama in the team if you don’t have to?”
These days, Verstappen and Sainz actually get along much better than they did back in 2015, when they were both fighting for that coveted Red Bull seat. Almost a decade has passed since then, and both drivers have grown up quite a bit.
Verstappen’s always said publicly that he doesn’t care who his teammate is. But actions speak louder than words.
Early in 2024, Red Bull had a chance to sign Sainz after he announced he was leaving Ferrari. Instead, they stuck with Sergio Perez – a decision that ended up costing them when they later had to buy out Perez’s contract to make room for Liam Lawson in 2025.
There’s a clear pattern at Red Bull. While teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes try to field two top drivers, Red Bull seems to prefer having a clear number one and number two. Team bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, along with Verstappen, have repeatedly defended this strategy.
