Oscar Piastri is 69 points clear of Verstappen at the halfway stage of the 2025 season, and there are no signs that Red Bull<\/a> are going to suddenly develop an advantage over McLaren.<\/p>\n A number of factors have seen Verstappen privately wondering whether he should continue at Red Bull beyond this season.<\/p>\n Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147 5 119 6 103 7 63 8 46 9 37 10 23 <\/p>\n Mercedes are very interested in signing Verstappen<\/a>, but no agreement has been reached.<\/p>\n Toto Wolff<\/a> has chased Verstappen for over a decade, and this year appears to be the Silver Arrows\u2019 best chance of securing the Dutchman\u2019s signature since he made his Formula 1 debut.<\/p>\n That creates another conundrum for Mercedes if suddenly Verstappen manages to activate a get-out clause in his contract<\/a> and switches teams for 2026.<\/p>\n Either George Russell<\/a> or Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/a> needs to make way for the Dutchman, and Juan Pablo Montoya<\/a> has explained what he thinks could happen if Mercedes sign their first-choice driver next season. <\/p>\n READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links<\/a><\/p>\n Montoya was speaking about the driver market on the MontoyAS Podcast, and explained how new Williams<\/a> driver Carlos Sainz<\/a> could somehow be dragged into the conversation.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cLook, if Max leaves and they don\u2019t get rid of George, Red Bull will probably sign Sainz. And then, they will put Kimi in Williams.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will give Antonelli time to develop like they did with George.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they had the option of bringing in Carlos, but Max didn\u2019t want Carlos as a partner.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the only thing, I believe that Max was not given the option or the right to say who he wants as a Mercedes teammate.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the only thing I don\u2019t think he will get, that he does get at Red Bull.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, we\u2019re trying to guess what we think is going to happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat will be interesting is whether there is a change or not, and the number of seats that will move around whenever it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz\u2019s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Why Carlos Sainz was glad Red Bull didn\u2019t try to sign him for the 2025 Formula 1 season<\/p>\n Throughout the 2024 season, Sainz\u2019s future and the identity of Verstappen\u2019s Red Bull teammate were two widely discussed topics of conversation.<\/p>\n Sainz knew he had lost his seat to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and had a plethora of options to choose from.<\/p>\n Guenther Steiner wonders if Sainz regrets turning down Sauber for Williams<\/a>, but it appears as though Red Bull was never an option.<\/p>\n TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN\/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN\/AN\/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN\/AN\/ARacing BullsN\/AN\/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN\/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers<\/p>\n![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2220160040-1024x681.jpg\")
Photo by Mark Sutton \u2013 Formula 1\/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesJuan Pablo Montoya thinks Red Bull could sign Carlos Sainz to replace Max Verstappen<\/p>\n![\"Williams](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2216175058-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Marco Canoniero\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n