Days After Sergio Perez’ Nico Hulkenberg Struggle, Ralf Schumacher Suggests Better Option for Red Bull’s “Weakness”

Sergio Perez got the Red Bull contract that he wanted but he has fallen off ever since. Checo has had a few difficult races so far, with the gap between him and Max Verstappen increasing. The last four Grand Prix have been difficult for the Mexican, with Verstappen winning more races.

With two P8s and two DNFs, is this the position Red Bull wants to be in? According to Helmut Marko, Sergio Perez is showing signs of weakness, as these results are not expected right after a signing.

One odd race is often understandable, but four consecutive races, where the driver could have qualified better to end up on the podium, put Red Bull under immense pressure. Now that Perez has a contract till 2026, F1 Pundits are discussing the Red Bulls’ decision. While some agree that Checo is a good teammate, Ralf Schumacher does not, and here is what he said.

Who is Ralf Schumacher’s preference instead of Sergio Perez?

Due to Sergio Perez’s recent performance, Ralf Schumacher is not a fan of having him in Red Bull. Although the team is happy having Checo on the team, Schumacher believes that Red Bull has many other choices. “I think there would have been other options on the market. Red Bull has an incredibly large junior squad,” said Schumacher in an interview on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de.

The former F1 driver further explained, “Red Bull would have a big problem without Max Verstappen at the moment because he is taking the car where it isn’t. And that also shows how difficult it is for Perez now. When they were one second ahead of everyone else, it wasn’t a problem at all. Now it is like that.”

When asked who he would like to see in that seat, Schumacher mentioned Nico Hulkenberg. Saying that he is “in a completely different league” than Sergio Perez, Schumacher insisted that he would like to see the future Sauber driver next to Verstappen.

Although this is not possible as both drivers have their seats locked in, Schumacher explains why he would pick the German driver.

Why does Ralf Schumacher believe Nico Hulkenberg should be in Red Bull?

According to Ralf Schumacher, Hulkenberg is totally different as compared to Perez and could have complemented Verstappen far better. “He [Hulkenberg] drives completely differently. It starts in qualifying, where he is incredibly stable. He could have supported Max Verstappen in a completely different way, including in terms of strategy. Now we have the problem that he has no one as a teammate to help him,” Schumacher said.

Currently, Sergio Perez’s pace is not enough to have him battling in the front. Schumacher is convinced that in Red Bull, Hulkenberg would be there fighting against McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.

It’s not that Perez has not supported Verstappen, however, at the current pace that each driver is displaying, Hulkenberg would have been a better option. In 2024, he has scored 6 points so far putting him 14th on the grid. He is tied up with Haas-reserve driver Oliver Bearman who had a chance to drive the car during the FP1 in Spain.

In the end, it’s all about consistency and that’s what Red Bull is looking out for. Hulkenberg has been outperforming his teammate this season and managed to score a seat in Sauber. He is known for his clean driving which fans enjoy. Sergio Perez has not been consistent with his results, as he started off the season strong but soon stopped making appearances on the podium.

The upcoming races are going to be crucial if Red Bull wants to stay in the game for the constructors’ championship.