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Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle believes it would be a ‘no-brainer’ for Carlos Sainz to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.

Sainz has enjoyed a successful season with Ferrari but will be ditched for Lewis Hamilton at the start of 2025.

The Spaniard will have no shortage of options next year, and his stock rose even further when he won the Australian Grand Prix last month.

Brundle believes Sainz could replace the under-pressure Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Seats at Aston Martin or Mercedes may also be enticing.

“It’s really tough for him,” Brundle said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

“In pre-season I said I thought he was going to fly this year because the pressure is off, he can drive for himself a little bit more, the team have biffed him off for Lewis Hamilton.

“His natural talents are always going to flow with nothing to lose and everything to gain, all of the right mentality to just go and fly and really just take it to everybody and show everybody how wrong they are.

“That’s exactly what he’s done and he’s left Charles Leclerc floundering to an extent in some respects, and I would never underestimate Charles Leclerc, but I’d never underestimate Carlos Sainz either.

“I can understand what Ferrari have done, two biggest brands in F1 probably are Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton right now, and they’re joining up and it’s a great story.

“I think Mercedes, if Antonelli is ready, they’ll try and put Antonelli in Lewis Hamilton’s seat…

“So will Perez kick the Red Bull seat? That’s the key, that’s the cork in the bottle.

“Because putting Sainz in the Red Bull would be a no-brainer for me – or an Aston Martin or a Mercedes-Benz for that matter. He’s now got the experience, got speed, he’s still got youth on his side to an extent.”