Marko reveals Red Bull left Hulkenberg door open until Albon was confirmed
F1 News
Nico Hulkenberg's time in Formula 1 has come to an end as he is replaced by Esteban Ocon at Renault. Helmut Marko has revealed there was a glimmer of hope for the German before Alex Albon was confirmed at Red Bull.
Hulkenberg raced for Williams, Sauber, Force India and Renault during his Formula one career, picking up one pole position along the way, at Interlagos in 2010. He signed for Renault for the 2017 season but leaves the constructor after three seasons.
Earlier in the season, he was linked with a move to Red Bull with the future of Max Verstappen's teammate very much in the air. Eventually, Alex Albon took the spot, but Helmut Marko has revealed the German opened talks about a potential drive.
“The initiative came from Hülkenberg,” Marko told Motorsport-Total.com.
“At that time we didn’t know how it would end with Albon, so we left it open. Once we had chosen Albon, it became clear that there was no room for Hulkenberg with us.
“Otherwise we would break our promises. So far we have only taken drivers out of our junior program. That gives our juniors a lot of security as soon as they are with us. Their chances of reaching Formula 1 are therefore very high.
“I do not want to say that we will never take someone from outside, but it must be significantly better.”