06/03/2017
NEWS STORY
It's no secret that Carlos Sainz was one of the names at the top of the 'possibles' list at Mercedes when Nico Rosberg made his shock decision to retire.
However, while Red Bull was quick to put up the 'not for sale' signs over the heads of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, so too Carlos Sainz was unavailable.
Asked if he thought Sainz could have made a successful transition to Mercedes, what with Lewis Hamilton being described as a 'career killer', Franz Tost is in no doubt.
"I was not worried because he has a Red Bull contract," he told the official F1 website. "But do I think he would be good enough to survive alongside Hamilton? Yes.
"Carlos is a very skilled driver who on a couple of occasions was faster than Max," he continued, referring to former teammate Max Verstappen. "Carlos has a very high natural speed and he will shine if we are able to give him the right car."