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Laurence Edmondson believes Audi’s takeover of Sauber in 2026 could trap Carlos Sainz to sign for the team. (1h30)
SHANGHAI, China (AP) — Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says his team is in no rush to confirm its 2025 driver lineup, despite hints from Sergio Perez of an imminent contract renewal on Thursday.
Red Bull have signed reigning champion Max Verstappen to a contract until 2028, a deal the 26-year-old said last month he will try to honour following speculation about his future, while team-mate Perez will be out of contract until the end of this season.
Speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Perez, who finished second to Verstappen in 3 of the first 4 races, said he plans to be at Red Bull for a fifth season.
“The priority is to stay here for the future,” Perez said. “Everything I do is just a matter of time. “
However, when Horner was asked if his team were close to confirming their 2025 line-up, he replied: “I’m afraid not really. It’s just that we’re in race five and there’s already a lot of communication about the drivers for 2025. “. ” next year.
“We are in a scenario where we are very satisfied with any of our drivers and will want to make a final decision on our line-up until much later this year.
“Obviously, Max has a long-term contract and Checo [Perez] will end his contract at the end of this year, but so far this season he has been driven exceptionally well.
Asked about Perez’s comments, Horner added: “There’s no doubt he’d like to make an announcement tomorrow. “
“As a team we are not in a great hurry, we are in a privileged position where many drivers would like to drive for the team, but we are satisfied with the duo we form, we just need to make sure that the point of consistency with which Checo maintains the season.
“In due course we will compare those options, but at the moment we are very pleased with the line-up we have, so there is no imminent rush to announce the full line-up of the driving force for 2025. “
Horner’s comments also stick to hypotheses linking Carlos Sainz with Red Bull for 2025. The Ferrari driver’s contract expires at the end of this year and he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton next season, making the 29-year-old in top form. forces one of the key players in the motive power market.
This week, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said his team in talks with Sainz is not yet able to cover the money that will be offered to the Spaniard through Audi, which is making an investment in the Sauber team ahead of its arrival in F1 in 2026. On Friday, Horner denied that Red Bull was aware of an offer made through Audi to Sainz.
“This is a natural hypothesis and we have no idea if Audi has introduced Carlos,” he said. “It’s a key driving force in the open market, so it’s only natural that there’s significant interest and I’m sure Audi would be foolish not to go to a driver of his quality among others who have seats available. “
“It’s not relevant to disclose what donations have been made and it’s nothing that has been revealed to us in terms of donations that have been made through other teams. “