Credits: IMAGO / ANP

Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen started their careers at Toro Rosso in 2015 and spent a year and a half as teammates. As he reminisced those days, Sainz spoke highly of Verstappen and despite the Dutchman’s recent struggles, predicted that he would win the Championship both this year and in 2025.

Sainz, in an interview with GQ, stated that he had a good rookie season. But he added that not many in the paddock realized just how talented his partner Verstappen was.

The Madrid-born driver spoke highly of the Dutchman’s skills and made a bold prediction.

“He is a three-time world champion, he is on his way to the fourth and I would even dare to say the fifth if Red Bull continues like this.”

For the last few races this season, Verstappen has struggled. Red Bull has been losing out in the development race to the likes of McLaren and Mercedes, but Sainz sees Verstappen on top when the season ends. This shows how much faith he has in his former teammate.

Sainz, meanwhile, continues to be on the hunt for a seat for 2025. Sainz wasn’t given a choice to extend his Ferrari contract with Lewis Hamilton available. However, he is content with the idea of leaving the Maranello-based outfit.

Sainz made peace with the idea of not becoming Champion with Ferrari

Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021 with hopes of winning the World Championship, but the team did not field a car competitive enough, in any of the seasons since then. He did win three races with Ferrari, but that is where his dream would end.

Sainz was asked if he was okay with leaving Ferrari without having achieved his goal. The Madrid-born driver replied,

“Yes, yes, you do them especially when you realize that you don’t have a car to win a world championship. The moment you know that the car is not good enough to win a World Championship, you make peace with yourself.”