Verstappen: Hülk worthy of 2021 F1 seat as other drivers "not as good as him"

Max Verstappen believes Nico Hülkenberg is worthy of a full-time return to Formula 1 for next season due to him being a better driver than a number of others currently in the sport.

Hülkenberg underlined his value to a potential team by qualifying a stunning third for Racing Point for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, finishing a third-of-a-second quicker than team-mate Lance Stroll.

The German will now be hoping to finally score the first podium of his 177-race start career before hopefully landing a drive for 2021 after recently confirming he is in talks with teams, although Haas and Alfa Romeo appear to be his only options.

Verstappen, though, would like to see Hülkenberg back on the grid on a permanent basis.

"Firstly, I was not very happy with how qualifying worked out for us, but I'm very happy for Nico being third."

"So, first of all, it clearly shows the car [Racing Point] is, of course very strong," assessed Verstappen. "They did a very good job over the winter.

"But also Nico did an amazing job in qualifying, and I really hope this will help Nico for a seat for next year because he definitely deserves to be in Formula 1."

Outlining his reasoning as to why Hülkenberg should be in a seat for next year, Verstappen added: "There are a few drivers that are not as good as him at the moment, here in F1. It's hopefully a great boost."

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