Perez and Hülkenberg could handle Verstappen at Red Bull – Szafnauer
Perez and Hülkenberg could handle Verstappen at Red Bull – Szafnauer
Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer believes Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg could handle racing alongside Red Bull number one Max Verstappen if either are drafted in to replace Alex Albon next season.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed at the weekend both drivers are on his list, should Albon fail to put in performances for the rest of this year deserving of a seat in the team for 2021.
Asked if they could handle stepping up against Verstappen, Szafnauer said: “Sure. Both of them have the mental capacity and the mental toughness to fit in alongside Max. Both of them have that.”
Albon has the remaining five races of the season to stake his claim, and despite Pierre Gasly putting in some impressive performances at sister team AlphaTauri, it seems Horner no longer sees potential to hire from within.
After flipping several drivers between lead and junior teams in recent years, Red Bull’s preference is still Albon and Horner who added: “We want Alex to claim that seat and justify that there is no need to look at any other alternative.”
Perez, however, is not only a top talent but also comes with a sizeable budget via his array of sponsors which could be key to Red Bull given its desire to take over the Honda engine project at the end of next year.
Hülkenberg, meanwhile, is one of the most highly rated drivers never to get his big break and many fans would love to see the German facing up to Dutchman Verstappen in front-end machinery next season.
But there is no room for either at Racing Point next year, when the team will be re-named Aston Martin, as Sebastian Vettel joins from Ferrari and Lance Stroll is the son of team owner Lawrence.
Szafnauer rates both drivers very highly, and added: “I think in the past, and hopefully in the future too, including Lance and Seb, we pride ourselves in picking good drivers.“
Before you go...
Portimão 'exposed weakness' in well-rounded Renault car - Ricciardo
Vettel backtracks on Ferrari car conspiracy theory
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- 2 hours ago
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 14 minutes ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- 1 hour ago
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- 2 hours ago
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- Today 09:57
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860