Red Bull F1 News: Christian Horner Hits Out at Director - 'We Have No Idea'

Christian Horner counters Helmut Marko’s open discussion about Carlos Sainz’s potential switch to Red Bull

Team Principal Christian Horner has publicly contradicted statements by advisor Helmut Marko concerning Carlos Sainz's contractual situation with Audi.

Amid the swirling rumors of driver shifts ahead of the 2025 Formula One season, Red Bull Racing finds itself at the center of a peculiar internal contradiction. Team Principal Christian Horner has been forced to address statements by Helmut Marko, Red Bull's advisor, about the potential recruitment of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.

Marko recently revealed that Red Bull was in contract discussions with Sainz, acknowledging that the Spaniard had received a significantly lucrative offer from Audi, one that Red Bull could not beat. Marko also touched on the personal history between the Scuderia driver and Red Bull, recalling Sainz’s past disappointment when Milton Keynes favored Max Verstappen over him.

"We're talking to him, he's having his strongest season in Formula 1. But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can't match or beat," Marko stated at the time.

However, Christian Horner provided a starkly different perspective, emphasizing the speculative nature of the current situation and disputing any concrete knowledge of offers made to Sainz by other teams. This statement contrasts Marko's detailed acknowledgment of Audi's interest and suggests a more cautious official stance from Red Bull.

"As for [the question about] other drivers, that is pure speculation. We have no idea if and what Audi have offered Carlos, who's a key driver on the open market, and so it's only natural that there's going to be significant interest. And I'm sure Audi would be foolish not to consider a driver of his quality amongst the others available," Horner elaborated.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz himself has remained circumspect about his future, reflecting on the broader market dynamics and the strategic decisions at play. Despite the high stakes, Sainz has focused on maintaining his performance at Ferrari, keeping his options open and his thoughts largely to himself while performing to the best of his abilities.

"All my best options are still open, which I think is a positive thing," Sainz admitted.

"It gets to a point when the sooner that everything develops, the better, because at the same time, it's not like it's affecting my performances at all this year. But the earlier you take it out of your head, the better. But it requires time, and it requires some decision-making. It's time to let that happen and see how things progress," Sainz asserted.

With Red Bull's current driver, Sergio Perez, also surrounded by rumors regarding his future, the tension within the team is increasing.