The Red Bull team reflects on a disappointing British GP. Yuki Tsunoda once again finished outside the points and defending champion Max Verstappen had to settle for fifth place. Meanwhile, Sauber driver Nico Hülkenberg climbed to a surprising first podium in his Formula 1 career. The German has also collected more points than Verstappen in the last four Grands Prix. Why has Hülkenberg never been given a chance at Red Bull?
Red Bull’s top advisor, Helmut Marko, reflected on the race weekend at Silverstone in an interview with Austrian outlet OE24. The 82-year-old Austrian confirmed that Max Verstappen’s pole position was promising, but the chosen setup played against him in the rain. “After the qualification, things didn’t look bad at all,” said Marko. “However, we relied on the weather forecasts and chose a setup without considering rain. When it eventually started pouring, it was immediately clear that we didn’t stand a chance.”
‘He Made Mistakes Back Then’
Verstappen managed to hold his own in the opening phase of the race between the two McLaren drivers, but lost control of his car during the restart behind the safety car. He spun out and fell back to tenth place. “Without that spin, Verstappen might have finished third,” Marko noted. “We just have to acknowledge that McLaren is currently very dominant.” With Red Bull falling back, Nico Hülkenberg finally had a shot at the podium. “After 239 Grand Prix, he finally stands on the podium,” Marko praised the German. “We can only congratulate him. He is a popular figure in the paddock anyway.”
Experts have been saying for years that Hülkenberg should have been given a spot at Red Bull. Verstappen managed to outperform teammates like Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon in just a few years. That’s why the team started looking for an experienced driver in 2020. Hülkenberg was considered for the second Red Bull seat, but was eventually outperformed by Sergio Pérez. Was that a missed opportunity? “Hindsight is always 20/20,” Marko responded. “Checo had won a race at the time, while Hülkenberg had missed a few good opportunities. Now he’s better. The older he gets, the fewer mistakes he makes. That’s why he now also has a nice contract with Audi.”
