Red Bull needs to look outside it’s driver pool to replace Sergio Perez

Red Bull might need to start looking outside its pool of drivers to find a suitable replacement for Sergio Perez.

Red Bull needs to look outside it’s driver pool to replace Sergio Perez

Helmut Marko with Sergio Perez (IMAGO)

Red Bull Racing seems to have a driver problem. Sergio Perez is nowhere near Max Verstappen on-track this season. As the reigning world champion is forced to essentially race alone against McLaren and Mercedes. This could force Milton Keynes to finally pull the plug on Perez.

Rumors have surfaced that Red Bull could replace Checo with Daniel Ricciardo after the summer break. Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed that the team will evaluate its options regarding Perez’s seat. Although, it is likely that this would stick to the current driver pool comprising of Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson.

However, Daniel Ricciardo has not had the best of seasons this year so far. While Tsunoda is not believed to be on Red Bull’s list to replace Sergio Perez. Moreover, Liam Lawson would need to spend a year at RB before getting a promotion to Red Bull. As such, it might be time for Red Bull to look outside its driver pool once again.

Who would be the best option to replace Sergio Perez?

Carlos Sainz was believed to be the number one option to replace Checo after he lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. However, Red Bull did not want to repeat the heated atmosphere at Toro Rosso when Sainz was teammates with Max Verstappen.

Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg (via IMAGO)

Looking at the rest of the grid, Nico Hulkenberg stands out as the most consistent and hassle-free driver. The German driver was in talks to race for Red Bull in 2021 before the team signed Sergio Perez. However, Hulkenberg is under contract with Audi for next season.

Nevertheless, Red Bull could try and break the German’s contract and it is unlikely that Hulkenberg would decline such a chance. The 36-year-old has delivered impressive results for Haas in the past two seasons and stayed away from any major incidents. Moreover, Nico Hulkenberg might finally be able to end his podium drought if he races for Red Bull. The German driver could certainly be a close match to Verstappen than Perez as well.

It is unlikely that Red Bull considers Hulkenberg for the time being. However, Milton Keynes must understand that they need a consistent driver to partner Verstappen, and Hulkenberg might be the best option in this regard. Other available drivers such as Valtteri Bottas or Esteban Ocon have simply not delivered the same results. However, it remains to be seen if Sergio Perez is actually replaced in the coming weeks.

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