Carlos Sainz said he does not understand why Red Bull did not sign him to be Max Verstappen's team-mate for the 2025 Formula One season.

Sainz went into the 2024 season knowing that he would be replaced at Ferrari by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. 

The Spanish driver eventually found a seat alongside Alex Albon at Williams, though a space opened up in the Red Bull team later in the year after they parted ways with Sergio Perez.

Sainz had reportedly been in talks with Red Bull, though nothing came of it, and he has questioned why he was not in contention for the second Red Bull seat.

"I think everyone's having a really tough time being Max's team-mate," Sainz told the High Performance podcast. 

"I can only say that when I was Max's team-mate, I didn't have this tough time."

Sainz and Verstappen previously raced alongside each other in their rookie season at Toro Rosso in 2015.

12 down, 12 to go

Ready to get back down to business. pic.twitter.com/eK6g3WAxyB

— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) July 20, 2025

It was suggested that concerns about lingering acrimony between the two drivers' camps were the reason Sainz was passed over by Red Bull for the 2025 campaign. 

"The only thing I can say is I genuinely get on well with Max," Sainz said. "This is what people don't see from the outside.

"Like, we had a rivalry on our first year in Formula 1 in Toro Rosso, but it was a relatively healthy rivalry in terms of him and me, the way we used to go about racing. And now we get on really well. 

"So, if that’s the reason, I don't understand why they wouldn't want me next to Max, because I think we would actually be a very strong pairing in Formula 1."

Following Perez's departure, the second Red Bull seat went to Liam Lawson, but he was replaced after just two races by Yuki Tsunoda, who has also struggled with the car. 

"I've been team-mates with Charles [Leclerc], with Lando [Norris], with Nico Hulkenberg, very quick guys, and probably the best in the sport," Sainz added.

"Now Alex [Albon] is incredibly fast also, and it just makes me want to be up against the best still. I know I can take it, and I know I've been successful in the past."

Sainz's highest finishing position since his move to Williams was eighth, which came in both the Saudi Arabian and the Emilia-Romagna Grands Prix.

He currently sits 15th in the drivers' standings, 33 points adrift of Albon in eighth.