Carlos Sainz has denied that friction with Max Verstappen was a role in Red Bull’s decision to ignore him for the second seat.

As Sergio Perez has struggled for form, various drivers have been mooted as potential contenders for next year, with Liam Lawson the current choice to replace the embattled Mexican racer.

Sainz was also connected with a return to the Red Bull family after it was reported he would be leaving Ferrari due to Lewis Hamiton taking his seat, but the Spanish driver instead signed with Williams.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has indicated that a possibility behind not trying to agree a deal with Sainz was the tension that existed between him and Verstappen when the duo were rookie drivers at Toro Rosso in 2015.

The four-time grand prix winner, however, has rejected the idea.

“I think I would get on well with him,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

“We were 16 and 19 years old back then, we’ve matured a lot.

“At Toro Rosso, they put you in a team and say, ‘Fight each other, then we’ll see who’s the best and who gets promoted to Red Bull!’ That’s the reason why Toro Rosso exists.

“You don’t drive there together for the team classification, otherwise the behaviour of the two drivers would change completely.

“You can see it with Charles and Lando, my last two team-mates. There were never any problems.

“So if my relationship with Max was the reason why I didn’t end up there, then I would say there would have been no problems. If the decision depended solely on that, then it would simply be wrong, but I’ve already told them that.”