Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told journalists in Austria Carlos Sainz Jnr’s 2019 seat will depend on whether the team has “a requirement for him”.
He explained that the 2019 driver market will fall into place once Mercedes confirms its line-up, and Red Bull will speak with Sainz once the situation is clear.
“I think the whole driver market is waiting for Toto [Wolff]’s driver to kick that off,” he said.
“I’m hoping at Silverstone you’re going to finally get your finger out and sign a contract. [Lewis Hamilton]’s worth every penny! As soon as Toto signs his contract, or two contracts, that then will cascade and Carlos Sainz will be a mechanism within that.
“Renault have a desire to keep Carlos. It really depends on whether we have a requirement for him or not. Our intention is to retain both drivers. Once that’s cleared, then we’ll sit down with Carlos.”
If Red Bull has no requirement for Sainz, it’s likely he will remain at Renault alongside Nico Hulkenberg.
Red Bull is keen to keep Daniel Ricciardo alongside Max Verstappen, who signed a multi-year deal last season, but it’s understood Ricciardo has been keeping an eye on Mercedes and Ferrari.
Both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas’ contracts are up at the end of the season, though it’s expected the team will retain both drivers for next year.
At Ferrari, either Kimi Raikkonen or Charles Leclerc is expected to partner Sebastian Vettel next season.
Horner expects to have Ricciardo re-signed before the summer break.
“Things’ are progressing well with Daniel.
“I think things will be concluded prior to the summer break. Our priority has been firstly to get the engine situation sorted, and now things are progressing with Daniel.
“I’m sure in the next couple of weeks, hopefully we’ll be entering the finishing straight to get things concluded prior to the summer break.”
