After it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be joining Ferrari next season, Carlos Sainz was quickly linked to a potential return to Red Bull.

Many speculated that Sainz might take over a seat alongside Max Verstappen, especially with Sergio Perez's recent struggles. However, despite the rumors, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has denied that the team is considering Sainz for a return.

Reportedly, one of the main reasons behind Red Bull’s decision not to pursue Sainz is believed to be the tension between him and Verstappen during their time together at Toro Rosso in 2015.

The two drivers had several on-track clashes as they competed for a spot in the senior Red Bull team. Eventually, Verstappen was promoted, while Sainz stayed behind.

This unresolved tension is thought to be a factor in Red Bull’s hesitation to bring him back and rather opting for Sergio Perez, who brings a lot of money to the team, despite his recent poor results, which is one of the reasons Red Bull fell to third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Eventually, Sainz signed a multi-year contract with Williams, however, rumors of a possible Red Bull return continue, especially after he recently said the tension with Verstappen in the past was simply due to their competition for the Red Bull seat.

“I think I would get on well with him,” Sainz told German outlet Auto Motor und Sport.

“We were 16 and 19 years old back then. We’ve matured a lot since then.

“At Toro Rosso, they put you in a team and say: fight each other, then we’ll see who’s the best and who gets promoted to Red Bull!

“That’s the reason why Toro Rosso exists. You don’t drive there together for the team classification, otherwise the behaviour of the two drivers would change completely.

“You can see it with Charles [Leclerc] and Lando [Norris], my last two team-mates – there were never any problems.

“So if my relationship with Max was the reason why I didn’t end up there, then I would say that there would have been no problems.

“If the decision depended solely on that, then it would simply be wrong. But I’ve already told them that.”

Perez’s future at Red Bull remains uncertain, with Helmut Marko recently stating that discussions will take place after the season, keeping the door slightly open for Sainz.