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Despite rejecting Carlos Sainz in favor of promoting Liam Lawson for the 2025 season, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is not ruling out potentially signing the former Ferrari driver down the road.

Sainz, 30, had been rumored to partner with Max Verstappen at Red Bull before eventually signing with Williams. Sainz was also overlooked by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton, who took his spot at Ferrari.

“Carlos is a great driver, and options still remain open with him in the future,” Horner recently told reporters.

Sainz, who won the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, was also passed over for promotion when Verstappen stepped in for Toro Rosso during the 2016 season.

“(Sainz) was considered, and in many respects, you’d say there was a real logic (to signing) Carlos, but we made the choice to look internally and put belief in the junior program,” Horner said of promoting Lawson over Sainz.

“That attracts more juniors because they see a pathway to Formula 1, and if we’d gone outside the program, that is not sending the right message, because there is so much competition now for young drivers, even at the age of 13 or 14 between the teams.

“That is healthy because it is investing in young talent, but by joining the Red Bull program, you see a clear pathway that if you deliver, pretty much guarantees you’ll get to Formula 1.”

–Field Level Media