Red Bull opts for a new path: "Perez seems to be more heavily linked"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
It looks like Red Bull Racing have the options of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez to be Max Verstappen's teammate in 2021. Alexander Albon has been pushed aside and, for the first time since its inception, pick a driver from outside their own junior set-up.
New road for Red Bull
In 2005 Red Bull started in Formula 1 with two veterans: David Coulthard and Mark Webber. Both with the necessary experience in the sport and Webber would eventually help the team with Sebastian Vettel to four F1 world titles. After Webber and Coulthard, however, each driver came from Red Bull's own academy.
'The other obvious options on the open market for Red Bull are Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. Perez seems to be more heavily linked to the drive than Hulkenberg, should Red Bull opt to drop Albon, and I think he would be a solid signing. Every weekend right now, Perez is fighting for best of the rest with Racing Point, and has put in some really strong drives, recovering from tricky positions," says Jolyon Palmer in his column for the BBC.
Who is the fastest?
'Perez can be anonymous some weekends, but then he can produce these fine drives that come out of nowhere, to be best of the rest or even snatch a podium, which he has done so many times in midfield machinery. Hulkenberg has also reminded the F1 world of his talents this season with three performances for Racing Point as a super-sub."
In 2017 Palmer drove with Nico at Renault and there the Brit was driven around the ears. 'I know how fast he can be, and he demonstrated this when he stood in for Perez at Silverstone when the Mexican contracted coronavirus, qualifying a spectacular third in only his second weekend in the car," Palmer concludes praisingly, but without clearly indicating who he prefers.