Christian Horner may regret not signing one F1 driver he ‘wanted’ at Red Bull amid Yuki Tsunoda woes

The curse of the second Red Bull seat has continued in 2025. The team have already seen two drivers race in the second RB21 after the first nine races of the season.

Liam Lawson began the year next to Max Verstappen after impressing Christian Horner at Racing Bulls. Despite having less experience than Yuki Tsunoda, the Red Bull team principal felt the New Zealander had a higher ceiling and was better equipped to battle the four-time champion.

No driver has beaten Verstappen at Red Bull since 2017, and that streak has continued in 2025. Horner was ultimately proved wrong about Lawson, as the Kiwi driver desperately struggled in the RB21, getting knocked out in Q1 in the opening two races.

After failing to score a point, Lawson was demoted back to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda taking his place from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards. Since stepping into Red Bull, the 24-year-old has fared little better than his predecessor.

While the Japanese driver has been able to get the car into Q3 on occasion, Tsunoda’s pace deficit to Verstappen is alarming. This was made apparent at the Spanish Grand Prix as he qualified last – just as Lawson did in Shanghai – while his teammate qualified third.

Helmut Marko says Red Bull will hold internal discussions after Tsunoda’s disaster in qualifying. With seven points to his name since joining the team, the chief advisor and Horner might regret not signing another candidate they had tabs on.

Helmut Marko reveals Red Bull were considering Nico Hulkenberg before signing Sergio Perez

After Sergio Perez confirmed his exit from Red Bull, several drivers were mentioned in the running to take the second seat next to Verstappen. Horner ‘confirmed’ talks with Fernando Alonso were ongoing before he extended his contract with Aston Martin.

Carlos Sainz was another name mentioned, but the Spaniard was never truly considered for the seat as he ultimately joined Williams. One driver Horner seemed to hold in high regard was Nico Hulkenberg.

The German signed for Sauber on a multi-year deal from Haas, which will see him become an Audi driver in 2026. Ralf Schumacher said Horner ‘wanted’ Hulkenberg after Perez left the team in 2024.

Marko even revealed via Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7 that the 37-year-old was in discussions with Red Bull while the team weighed up their options after dropping Alex Albon. They would ultimately sign Perez.

The Austrian said: “When we took Perez, Hulkenberg was under discussion and Perez won in Bahrain. Unfortunately, he then got worse and worse. We need a stable driver who doesn’t necessarily want to beat Max. That’s where they all fail.”

READ MORE: Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height

Nico Hulkenberg has now outscored Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda – Christian Horner will regret not signing him

Sauber have been uncompetitive for most of 2025, but Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have shown flashes of strong performance. The latter has secured some Q2 appearances, while the former has scored all of the team’s points this season.

The German finished an impressive P7 in Melbourne, before he took advantage of Sauber’s upgrades in Barcelona to produce a stunning performance and finish P5. Hulkenberg passed Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari in the closing stages, shocking fans and pundits.

With 16 points to his name, Hulkenberg has now outscored both of the second Red Bull drivers in an inferior car. Lawson failed to score points with the Milton Keynes outfit, while Tsunoda has not finished higher than ninth, not including Sprint races.

Horner will be kicking himself over not bringing in the German. Hulkenberg’s experience would have been an invaluable asset for Red Bull and might have been just what the team needed to go alongside Verstappen.

While the door at Red Bull is closed for the 37-year-old, he has every reason to be excited for the future. Audi are going ‘full throttle’ in development for 2026 as they look to be a competitive package when they take over from Sauber.