Red Bull chief Helmut Marko addresses Carlos Sainz's candidature as Max Verstappen's teammate

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently mentioned Carlos Sainz's position while discussing Max Verstappen's future teammate.

Since Sergio Perez's contract ends in 2024, Red Bull could choose his replacement from a plethora of drivers on the grid. Apart from the usual candidates, Helmut Marko also talked about Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

Marko believes that the Spaniard would want to make a decision faster than the team does on his replacement. Speaking to kleinezeitung.at, he said:

"Albon is not an issue for us, he has a contract until 2025 and Sainz probably wants to make a decision earlier than we do."

Carlos Sainz will be dropped by Ferrari after 2024 and will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton. Hence, the Spaniard has to find a new team as quickly as possible.

In the past, Sainz was under the Red Bull umbrella. He raced in Toro Rosso (currently known as Visa CashApp RB) from 2015 to 2017 before moving to Renault. Apart from him, drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda racing in Visa CashApp RB would also be eager to snatch Sergio Perez's Red Bull seat.

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Carlos Sainz unsure about his future after Ferrari

Carlos Sainz recently opened up about his future in F1 after he leaves Ferrari in 2025. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Spaniard admitted he has not yet decided which team he will join. He said he is taking his time to analyze all the options before making a decision.

“The situation now is completely different, I am basically a free agent for ‘25 and I have no idea yet where I am going to be racing with. As I said before, I have to take my time to decide, see all the options that are available," he said.

"And try to bring the best option for me, not only ‘25 but what’s the best option for me even for the next three or four years, where I am going to give my absolute best to put together a winning project in F1 and to see who gives me that best chance to go," he added.

Sainz had a decent 2023 F1 season where he finished seventh in the drivers' standings and was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023.