Formula 1 | Red Bull, Carlos Sainz is Horner's candidate for a possible post-Ricciardo

In the event that an agreement is not found for the renewal of Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull could replace him with another wild card from their "cantera": Carlos Sainz. The 23-year-old Spaniard, after two and a half seasons in Toro Rosso, arrived at Renault towards the end of last year, replacing Jolyon Palmer, with the formula annual loan: this method which in fact allows Sainz to return to the circle of candidates for a place in Red Bull.

Chris horner, team principal of the Milton Keynes team, at CNN he underlined his desire to confirm Ricciardo, but with one eye always open elsewhere: “Our intention is to have him with us in the future. But if this is not possible, we have other good alternatives: we have good drivers in the junior program and, although he is now with Renault, we still have Carlos Sainz under contract".

Although the renewal with Mercedes is now just a formality, Horner has opened a very small window into the captivating, and utopian, hypothesis Lewis Hamilton: “Lewis' contract also expires. It's hard to imagine him leaving Mercedes, but never say never...".

Federico Martino