Explained: Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on being Max Verstappen’s teammate

Nico Hulkenberg was close to becoming Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate in 2021, Helmut Marko has revealed.

After a disappointing 2020 campaign, Red Bull decided to drop Alex Albon.

With Red Bull unconvinced about giving Pierre Gasly a second chance, they opted to look outside their junior programme.

Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were the immediate front-runners.

Red Bull favouring one of two proven midfield veterans made sense, given the success Mercedes were having at the time with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

At one time, Hulkenberg was favourite to take the seat alongside Verstappen for 2021.

The German wasn’t on the grid in 2020 after losing his drive to Esteban Ocon at Renault.

However, he starred for Racing Point in his stand-in appearances.

Perez’s late-season charge turned the tide in his favour, winning for the first time at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

It meant Hulkenberg missed out on a top drive again in F1, ultimately making his return with Haas in 2023.

Recalling the decision between Hulkenberg and Perez, Marko explained to F1-Insider: “At that time he [Hulkenberg] was, I think, a co-commentator at Servus TV, so there was already a relationship there, and there were the beginnings of talks, but then Perez won that race in Bahrain, I think, and because of that everything turned in Perez’s direction,” Marko told F1-Insider.

“I think it would have been a really nice time, because the two get along very well, and yes, Hulkenberg is a safe bank for points, and in our car it would also have been top positions.”

Marko has no regrets

Marko has been head of the Red Bull junior programme since its inception.

Under his leadership, Marko has seen Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel become world champions with the team.

Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz have won races in F1, while the likes of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly have flourished.

“Actually, I stand by the decisions, and one has to bear in mind that over 95% of the drivers who did not remain in our cadre then go on to race in Formula E, race in WEC, race in DTM or elsewhere,” Marko explained.

“They earn good money - far more than they probably could in a civilian profession - and then they do what they love, namely compete in motorsport. And that was mainly made possible through our involvement.

“And Formula 1 is the pinnacle, and it requires not only talent but also special characteristics and a certain strength, both mentally and in overall constitution.”