As Carlos Sainz looks for a new home on the Formula 1 grid, a verbal exchange with Red Bull driver program director Helmut Marko, sealed by a handshake, got people talking.
Sainz is the recent top winner of the Formula 1 Grand Prix thanks to his dominant performance last time out in Melbourne, but he does not have a seat for next season due to Ferrari’s successful acquisition of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The next stage of the 2024 F1 calendar has already arrived as teams and powertrains head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix, where Sainz will be hoping to prove that Max Verstappen’s brake failure was not the only explanation for his victory in Melbourne. , the Ferrari driver has already made headlines this race weekend.
In fact, he was seen having a smiling verbal exchange with Marko in the Suzuka paddock, which also featured Sky Germany presenter Peter Hardenacke. What stands out, however, is the public handshake between Sainz and Marko. Is it a popular sign of respect, or something more official?
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Marko recently spoke about the rumours between Sainz and Red Bull, with Sainz making his Formula 1 debut from the Red Bull programme in 2015 as Verstappen’s teammate at Toro Rosso.
And while Marko described Sainz’s form as “fascinating” after his exploits at the Australian GP, he also raised a strong option for Sergio Perez to remain Verstappen’s teammate in 2025, provided he upped his qualifying game.
“Of course his form is fascinating,” Marko told Laola1 in reference to Sainz.
“But you have to realise that Checo [Perez] has had three smart races this year. The fact that he regressed so much in Melbourne due to broken underbody and tyre degradation. “
“Their only weakness is in qualifying. If you can there, you don’t want to think about it. For him, the atmosphere in the team is also very intelligent.
For a while, it looked like Verstappen was the reason Sainz could upgrade at Red Bull, and the off-track turmoil within the team led to speculation between Verstappen and Mercedes, although Verstappen has since shown his commitment to his Red Bull deal. which will run until the end of 2028, amid a possible cooling of tensions within Red Bull’s ranks.
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