Guenther Steiner shares which F1 driver he would replace Sergio Perez with at Red Bull next season

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Formula 1 is close to a return to action at the United States Grand Prix with plenty of different storylines left to dissect between now and the end of the season.

Max Verstappen will be hoping he can maintain his lead over Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, while Red Bull and Ferrari have McLaren in their sights in the team standings.

There’s also the second debut of young Kiwi driver Liam Lawson, who has replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six race weekends of the season.

Ultimately, all of these talking points can be traced back to one man: Sergio Perez.

Perez is 187 points behind his teammate and given Red Bull are only 41 points adrift of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, it highlights the role the Mexican has played in the team losing their grasp on the title.

That has put pressure on Perez when it comes to his future at Red Bull despite having a contract for 2025 and an option for the following year.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

RB have brought Lawson in to evaluate him alongside Yuki Tsunoda with the hope that one of the two drivers will emerge as a candidate to step into the 34-year-old’s seat.

Guenther Steiner was speaking on The Fast and The Curious Podcast about who he would replace Perez with next year.

The former Haas boss has admitted that he would have looked outside of the Red Bull ecosystem to hire Verstappen’s next teammate like Christian Horner did when he brought in Perez to replace Alex Albon.

Steiner believes that Carlos Sainz was the standout candidate in the driver market this year and would have been an upgrade on the Mexican.

Instead, Sainz is on his way to Williams next year after losing his seat at Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton.

Guenther Steiner would replace Sergio Perez with Carlos Sainz at Red Bull next year

Steiner was asked if he was team principal of Red Bull who he would hire alongside Verstappen for next year and he said: “I mean, now it’s too late, but I would have taken Carlos Sainz back. Because at the time he was the best driver on the market.”

Co-host Christian Hewgill replied: “Yeah, I don’t think that’s an unsurprising move. I think I think he had a very, very good teammate for Max Verstappen, but maybe would he have been a little too good for Max Verstappen?”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Steiner continued: “Exactly. I think they didn’t have a good relationship, but in the end, you know, you cannot have two mates there if you have two mates there.

“It’s a very difficult one because Max is so dominating. I think especially at Red Bull because he grew up there. He made the team grow.

“He brought the team back to winning. So, he has got a very strong standing.

“Obviously his father is around in this half-a-team principal there. So it’s like they’ve got a lot of involvement there. At the moment, it is the most difficult seat in Formula One that one beside Max.”

Alpine already looking at Carlos Sainz beyond the 2025 season

Sainz may only have a handful of Grand Prix victories to his name, but he’s one of the most consistent drivers on the grid and has delivered at each of the teams he’s raced for.

Williams team principal James Vowles was delighted to hire Sainz after months of negotiations and alongside Albon, they’ll argue that they have the best driver line-up in the midfield.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Sainz was chased by several teams on the grid once it became clear that he would be let go by Ferrari.

Flavio Briatore hasn’t given up on signing Sainz yet, and if Red Bull continue to struggle to find an appropriate second driver to race with Verstappen, then they might have to reconsider the reasons why they disregarded the Spaniard earlier in the year.