"Marko must also have had a spicy conversation with him”

"Poor Albon", Robert Doornbos concludes his latest column for Ziggo Sport. After another bad race, his position at Red Bull is under more pressure than ever. But who should replace him? Nico Hulkenberg, who once again delivered his business card at the Nürburgring, is often mentioned.

Driver of the Day

Hulkenberg was appointed Driver of the Day on Sunday. Nobody had seen that coming before, of course. "If I had told you that last week, you would have laughed at me," says Doornbos. "It is a very special year for Nico. He has only driven three races, but is fifteenth in the championship". After he was called up on Saturday morning, he was in the car for the first time during Q1 of qualifying. "How difficult is that? He did an amazing job and earned the title of Driver of the Day by his performance on Sunday. Great class."

Albon under pressure

Alexander Albon is currently under great pressure at Red Bull Racing and his seat for 2021 is far from certain. "Albon really has to fight for his seat. He has to drive magisterially for the next six races and then there is a chance that Marko will keep him in 2021. I estimate that chance to be small." Yet Doornbos thinks there is little chance that Hulkenberg will ride next to Verstappen. "We all know that Helmut Marko is very proud of his training programme with juniors climbing up the lader, but the choices are quite slim at the moment."

That Marko is ruthless for his Red Bull talents, he already showed regularly, but he seems to be a bit softer for Albon. "It strikes me that he gives Albon a little more time than Gasly, whom he simply bought off last year. I really wonder what he was thinking when he heard Albon's onboard radio; "They race me so hard". I have never heard such an onboard radio. That certainly did not do his position any good within the team. Marko must have had a tough conversation with him too".

Hulkenberg next to Verstappen?

At the end of his column, Doornbos discusses a few viewer questions. One of the questions that comes along is: Does Nico Hulkenberg deserve Albon's chair at Red Bull? "With such a business card that you give him, you can hope that he will be offered a contract. He's constant, grabbed big points and I think he's a very good second driver on a top team. Hulkenberg would be a good option in my opinion, but knowing that Helmut Marko makes the decisions, I think that chance is very small too".