P1racenews AI automatic summary:
A claim has been made that Max Verstappen likely stopped Carlos Sainz from making a huge move.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Max Verstappen would have prevented Carlos Sainz from joining Red Bull, even though he cannot confirm the truth of his claim. Montoya thinks that as a reigning world champion, Verstappen would have influenced Red Bull’s decision makers against signing Sainz. After Lewis Hamilton’s announcement as Sainz’s replacement at Ferrari on February 1, 2024, the Spanish driver was linked with various teams before eventually signing with Williams, Red Bull being one of them. Montoya points out that Verstappen and Sainz spent a tumultuous season together in 2015 at Toro Rosso, which may have influenced Verstappen’s preference against having Sainz as a teammate at Red Bull. Montoya believes that, at the end of the day, it’s not about fear, but about making strategic decisions to maintain a harmonious environment within the team, especially for a driver like Max Verstappen. According to Montoya, when a driver like Verstappen has the power to choose his teammate, it makes sense to opt for simplicity rather than potential conflict.
