Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing since 2005, attracted attention following his recent visit. Williams Caravan during the Brazilian Grand Prix. This meeting, which was initially thought to include discussions about Franco Colapinto’s future at Red Bull, turned into speculation about a potential driver change that could see Carlos Sainz join Red Bull Racing.

His visit was with James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams, a team currently rebuilding. This meeting sparked hours of conversation in the paddock and sparked media debate about future squads for 2025.

It was understood that the reason Horner was at Williams revolved around 21-year-old Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto, who joined Formula 1 mid-season to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams. Colapinto showed promising results, highlighted by the points he scored in his second race, and attracted the attention of top teams, including Red Bull. The potential for a move to Red Bull’s RB team in 2025 seemed plausible, especially as the brand looks to strengthen its squad amid the woes around Sergio Perez.

As rumors of Colapinto’s potential role at Red Bull intensify, another theory has emerged, suggested by Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok. He speculated that Horner might consider bringing Carlos Sainz to Red Bull and let Williams keep Colapinto.

“Hmm… If I were Horner, I would negotiate a price to bring Carlos Sainz into the big team and let Williams keep Colapinto,” Chandhok said, via Sky Sports F1. he said. This theory is gaining traction with the current pressure to perform on Perez, whose form has seen Red Bull slide down the Constructors’ Championship standings and he now sits behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Discussions about the potential return of Spanish Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz, who has had a strong career at Renault, McLaren and Ferrari, to a Red Bull-affiliated team are creating opportunities for both teams. The move is interesting considering his history with Max Verstappen when he was Toro Rosso teammate. Addressing this issue, Chandhok said:

“Yes yes, it seems the Max camp doesn’t want him, but it’s been ten years since they were teammates (forget that situation!) and this year has shown that they need two drivers to score.”

It has been confirmed that Sainz will remain at Williams in 2025 and will partner Alex Albon, placing Williams in a strong position. But Red Bull’s interest creates an element of uncertainty. The idea of ​​Sainz moving to Red Bull is not entirely new, as Red Bull once viewed him as post-Ferrari. But at that time, they chose stability with Perez. Now the pressure on Perez and future plans may force Red Bull to rethink this early choice.

Competition for seats in the Red Bull squad is intense; This includes not only external drivers such as Sainz and Colapinto, but also existing talent on their home turf. New Zealander Liam Lawson has emerged as a viable candidate for the main seat after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB. Yuki Tsunoda, part of the sister team, also remains a potential option. Both Lawson and Tsunoda are looking to prove their worth to secure a coveted position at Red Bull Racing.

Vowles sees value in training Colapinto and Red Bull’s interest makes his case strong.

The timetable for deciding these moves is urgent, with decisions expected before the end of the 2024 F1 season, particularly before the Abu Dhabi finale.