Why Red Bull Should Choose Sergio Perez Instead Of Nico Hulkenberg For 2021

It is an interesting time for Red Bull Racing and its fans regarding the 2021 drivers’ lineup. With Alex Albon’s future at the team increasingly under scrutiny, other possibilities are also being looked at.

Two standout candidates that have often been linked over the course of the last few weeks, are Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. Just like the latter’s current situation, Perez will also be out of contract at the end of the ongoing season.

So if it does come down to a decision of choosing between Perez and Hulkenberg, would ‘Checo’ be a better fit for that potential seat? Here we look at all the factors that concern this brief analysis.

Red Bull need a second enforcer capable of challenging Max Verstappen

As has been the story this season, the Austrian-licensed outfit have mostly competed, with just Verstappen challenging the Mercedes cars. From that perspective, what Red Bull need first and foremost, is a second driver who can give the team more strategy options during the races.

When it comes to racecraft and its allied statistics, it is Perez who has the upper edge over Hulkenberg. The Mexican driver has 186 race starts, 655 points and 8 podiums. While the experienced German has 179 race starts, 521 points and no podium finishes as yet.

That last stat of podiums, is something Red Bull should look at. Perez, that way, has the ability of extracting maximum performance out of limited resources. As he has done so brilliantly, in his time with Sauber and Racing Point.

Sergio Perez has tremendous sponsorship backing and age on his side

Aside from the sporting aspects, F1 also revolves around finances. And Perez as a standalone athlete, has stronger backing from a host of brands. Which obviously, makes him a more viable option commercially.

Additionally, the fact that Perez is just 30 years old, means that his peak years lie ahead of him. Compared to Hulkenberg, who is currently 33, Perez represents as someone Red Bull could sign for a minimum of four to five years.

Hence, looking at all the aspects, Perez would be the more logical choice to take the second seat at Red Bull. It will definitely be something that ‘Checo’ deserves. And not having someone like him on the grid next year, will certainly be a shame.