Christian Horner has made it clear that Carlos Sainz will not be joining Red Bull for the 2025 season, despite rumors linking him to a potential move. Reports had circulated following Horner’s visit to the Williams motorhome at the Interlagos Grand Prix, where he was seen leaving the area.
This led to speculation that he was negotiating with Williams about releasing young driver Franco Colapinto, or even discussing a potential signing of Sainz for next season.
However, Horner confirmed that Sainz is not part of Red Bull’s plans for 2025, as he has already signed a multi-year deal to join Williams. Horner clarified that the talks he had in Brazil were focused on Colapinto, who had been performing well after replacing Logan Sargeant.
With Alex Albon already under contract at Williams and Sainz committed to the team, there is no seat available for Colapinto at the moment.
Williams team principal James Vowles joked about Horner’s visit, suggesting it was just for a coffee from the team’s new sponsor. Sainz, who will leave Ferrari at the end of the season, has already secured his future with Williams, having had conversations with the team well before it was known that Lewis Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari.
When asked about the possibility of Sainz moving to Red Bull, Horner said: “Carlos Sainz is going to be a Williams driver next year. He’s a great driver, had a big win in Mexico recently, and I think he’ll be very good for that team.” Horner also confirmed that despite the rumors, Sainz would not be part of Red Bull’s plans.
Sainz, who has won four races with Ferrari, spoke to Sky F1 about his decision to join Williams: “Williams is the one that has invested in me, that have backed me up from the beginning, the ones that came to me a full year ago, and that actually makes me super excited.
I want to give back to them this trust and this belief in me.” Sainz is eager to help build something special at Williams, a team he feels has shown him great support.
