Sainz “unlucky” to enter F1 alongside Verstappen – Marko
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says Sainz was “unlucky” to enter Formula 1 with Verstappen as a team mate when the pair joined the grid as rookies together at Toro Rosso in 2015. While Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull the following year, Sainz never got the chance to graduate to the top team. Red Bull eventually released him and he joined Ferrari in 2021.
“Sainz is, without a doubt, a great driver,” Marko told Marca. “He was almost on par with Max in Toro Rosso. The bad thing for him is that he was unlucky to have Verstappen as a team mate
“The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. With the configuration we had then, I didn’t see a way to keep him with us, so Carlos went through Renault, McLaren and then he ended up at Ferrari.”