Red Bull could replace Sergio Perez with driver Christian Horner once said was a ‘demon in the wet’

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Red Bull Racing could consider a move for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz should this season’s runner-up Sergio Perez depart the team.

A report from Gazzetta dello Sport has shared more details about the Spaniard’s future.

It appears as though 2024 is going to be the year that the F1 grid gets the shake-up it desperately needs as we head into the winter break with all 20 drivers retaining their current seats.

The final piece of the puzzle was completed on Friday when Williams confirmed Logan Sargeant would be spending a second season with the team.

However, journalist Will Buxton believes that changes are coming next year with plenty of drivers on the grid seeing their contracts expire.

Two of those drivers are Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Sainz is reportedly keen to remain with the Tifosi beyond next year, although that feeling isn’t necessarily mutual.

It means he may need to look elsewhere and while that would have been a problem this year, opportunities should open up going into 2025.

There’s going to be a chain reaction of movement eventually, but it’s going to be fascinating what initially sets it off.

Sainz could replace Perez at Red Bull

The report from Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that Sainz will have plenty of options available to him if Ferrari decide to replace him.

The £210,000-a-week driver could be brought in to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull should they decide to move Perez on.

The pair drove together at Toro Rosso nearly 10 years ago, with Verstappen outscoring Sainz in the championship by 49 points to 18.

That included a run of six consecutive points finishes in the final seven races and was one of the reasons why the Dutchman was promoted to the Red Bull team ahead of Sainz the following year.

Sainz is also reportedly being considered to drive for Audi when they enter the sport in 2026 and the German team are keen to have a high-profile racer within the team.

The Spaniard would certainly match that description but it’s unclear whether he would want to take the gamble to join a newly established manufacturer.

In an ideal world for Sainz and Perez, they retain their seats at Ferrari and Red Bull going forward.

The Mexican has had to deal with both Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso being linked with his seat recently.

Meanwhile, Ferrari are looking at another star on the grid to potentially replace the Spaniard in two years.

Horner is a fan of Sainz and when he took pole position at the British Grand Prix last year he said: “Charles [Leclerc] had what looked like a half-spin, Max [Verstappen] lifted for the yellow and I think he gave up about three or four tenths for it.

“Congratulation to Carlos [Sainz], he’s always been demon in the wet. When he was a junior for us, he was always very strong in these kind of conditions, so congrats to him and we’re just pleased to be on the front row and with Checo [Sergio Perez] up there on the second row as well.”

Whatever happens, it looks like next year will be rife with speculation in comparison to the last 12 months.