Christian Horner defends prioritizing Red Bull’s junior program over re-signing Carlos Sainz, ensuring young talent sees a clear Formula 1 pathway.
Christian Horner believes bringing Carlos Sainz back to Red Bull Racing wouldn’t have sent the right message to the team’s junior driver program.
While “the options remain open” for Sainz to potentially return one day, the team principal chose to reignite the internal promotion system.
Thus, Liam Lawson was appointed to replace Sergio Perez, while Isack Hadjar stepped into Lawson’s seat at Racing Bulls for the 2025 season.
“Carlos is a great driver, and the options remain open with him in the future.”
“He was considered, and in many ways, one could argue there was real logic in signing Carlos. But we chose to look internally and put faith in the junior program.”
“It attracts more juniors to sign with us rather than another academy because they see a clear pathway to Formula 1. If we had gone outside the program, it wouldn’t have sent the right message, as there’s so much competition between teams for young drivers, even as young as 13 or 14.”
“It’s healthy because it fosters investment in young talent. By joining the Red Bull program, you see a clear path that, if successful, almost guarantees you’ll reach Formula 1.”
“We always prefer to give the opportunity to someone who has earned their progression to F1 through our junior program.”
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Horner: Sainz Return Risked Undermining Red Bull’s Junior Path Horner: Sainz Return Risked Undermining Red Bull’s Junior Path
