Hulkenberg on Red Bull radar? Marko dismisses it as a joke
General
Nico Hulkenberg is making a spectacular return to Formula 1 this season. The German is making a big impression with the Haas F1 team, fuelling rumours in the German media about a possible step up. After all, wouldn't Red Bull Racing be an option for Hulkenberg in 2024? After all, Sergio Perez is underperforming at the moment, is the thinking there.
Hulkenberg and Red Bull
Hulkenberg's Saturday performances have been outstanding. With his VF23, he reached Q3 several times already this year. He lost only twice to teammate Kevin Magnussen, who just edged Mick Schumacher last season.
Speaking to Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung , Marko faced these reports ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. "Let's put it this way. We get him (Nico Hülkenberg, ed.) in for qualifying and then Perez drives the race," winked the Red Bull Racing adviser, who did not elaborate further.
This is not the first time Hulkenberg's name has been associated with Red Bull Racing. For the 2021 season, the Austrian formation had to choose between Perez and Hulkenberg. Both drivers were not (or no longer) linked to another team in the premier class of motorsport at that time. As is well known, the choice eventually fell to Perez, where Hulkenberg missed out on an F1 seat, as he did in 2020.
Horner
In Friday's press conference, Christian Horner was asked a question by a German-language medium that also included Nico Hulkenberg's name. The team boss talked over it by stating that Sergio Perez simply still has a contract until 2024 and that Daniel Ricciardo too need not open up on a promotion for next year.