Marko phoned Hulkenberg before the announcement of Perez

Red Bull Racing have chosen Sergio Perez for 2021. The Mexican lost his seat at Racing Point to Sebastian Vettel, but will drive for Red Bull next season where he replaces Alex Albon.

The second driver

The seat next to Max Verstappen has been a thorn in the side of Red Bull Racing since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, who was unable to find a successor for the Australian with Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon. Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez turned out to be suitable candidates for 2021.

In an interview with Motorsport-total.com, Helmut Marko explains once again that Hulkenberg was in fact a contender. On Friday, before the official announcement, the Austrian phoned Hulkenberg for ten minutes, which unfortunately did not work out for him. There were also rumours earlier in the year about the return of Vettel.

Vettel not to Red Bull

''When we decided to replace Vettel for Albon, Vettel was no longer available,'' Marko now lets us know. According to Marko, despite making 'too many mistakes,' his old pupil still has the qualities to succeed at Aston Martin.

''In my opinion, it started in Hockenheim 2018, when he took the lead of the race. Arrivabene was the team boss at the time and since then the relationship with Ferrari has been getting worse and worse. I hope he can find himself again,'' concludes Marko, who this year found Vettel's driving this year not at the 'Vettel level'.