Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz debuted in F1 together in 2015. Both drivers were talented and fast, but it was Verstappen who caught everyone’s eye and succeeded first, getting the coveted Red Bull seat. But Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed Sainz was just unlucky to come up against Max Verstappen.

Marko revealed they had to make a decision between Max and the Spaniard for the Red Bull seat. He also stated the decision to choose Max over Carlos did not sit well with the Spanish driver and his father.

WATCH STORY: Top 5 wins of Max Verstappen’s F1 career

Carlos Sainz was almost on par with Max Verstappen: Red Bull advisor

As reported by Motorsport-Turkey, the Austrian mentioned that in their first Test in Silverstone, Sainz was on level power with the Dutch driver. He also revealed that the acclaim that the Spanish driver has been getting after his performance in the 2021 season is not surprising to him.

“Sainz was unlucky enough to face Verstappen when it mattered most. In the first test at Silverstone, we immediately saw that he was fast. He was almost on par with Verstappen. He was almost… But when we had to choose between Verstappen and Sainz, the choice was clear for us,” said Marko.

Trending

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal

April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT

Max Verstappen Sabotaged Daniel Ricciardo’s Only Chance of Getting the Red Bull Seat for 2025

April 21, 2024 11:59 AM EDT

Carlos Sainz Blames Charles Leclerc for Causing Fred Vasseur’s Painful Chinese GP Loss

April 21, 2024 12:23 PM EDT

Toto Wolff Leaves Carlos Sainz Out of Long Term Plans, Nico Rosberg Reveals Details of Proposed Mercedes Contract

April 22, 2024 07:21 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“Both (Sainz and his father) were disappointed with this choice, but his father was the most disappointed. We rented it to Renault first because his contract was still running.” Sainz is definitely one of the best drivers.

He proved it. He broke Leclerc‘s spell for me. If you look at 2021, Sainz was at a very good level in terms of speed and Leclerc had a lot of crashes,” said the Austrian.

Well, this is a startling revelation by Marko as it poses the question of what would have happened if he had picked Carlos over Max. But it is nice to see that the Spanish driver has made his own way and put on an impressive display of gritty driving in the 2021 season. With F1 entering a new era, many expect Sainz to challenge Verstappen for the title. What is your take on this?

Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?