Although the 2024 Formula 1 season ended at the beginning of December, Red Bull made sure the grid wasn’t set for next season until weeks after the campaign drew to a close.
Lando Norris won the final race of the season for McLaren, clinching the Constructors’ Championship in the process.
But 2024 was the best demonstration yet of Max Verstappen’s incredible talents as he dominated the season despite Red Bull losing their advantage in the development race.
It highlighted the growing gulf between Verstappen and Sergio Perez and left Red Bull with a conundrum heading into 2025.
Red Bull confirmed Perez’s exit after the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, choosing to promote Liam Lawson in his place.
Yuki Tsunoda will be joined at the newly-renamed Racing Bulls team by Isack Hadjar, bringing an end to months of speculation about both driver line-ups.
However, that doesn’t mean Red Bull haven’t explored other options from outside their academy in the past.
Lando Norris has been courted by Red Bull in the past, while chief advisor Helmut Marko is a big fan of Oscar Piastri.
In an interview with Motorsport-Total, Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg has explained the previous interest in his services from Red Bull.
After 230 Grand Prix, the German will be heading to the opposite end of the paddock with Sauber in 2025.
However, that doesn’t mean the winless driver hasn’t been of interest to some of the sport’s strongest manufacturers in the past.
Nico Hulkenberg was ‘very close’ to signing for Red Bull
Hulkenberg was asked about Ferrari’s interest in him as well as whether or not he was ever on Red Bull’s radar.
The 37-year-old said: “In the end, it was always little things and the last piece of the puzzle that was somehow missing.
READ MORE: Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height
“It’s that simple and straightforward in the end.
“The thing isn’t done until it’s really done and signed. And I think I was really close at times.
“But it doesn’t count if it’s not signed by the other side. So we can debate a lot or a long time about how close it was or wasn’t, in the end, it doesn’t matter. Something was missing.”
Red Bull must make sure their latest driver gamble pays off with Liam Lawson
The longer the season went on, the more difficult it became for team principal Christian Horner to justify the contract extension Perez signed after the Monaco Grand Prix.
He failed to finish on the podium in any of his last 19 Grand Prix, but the issue Red Bull faced was the lack of alternatives available to them.
They had no interest in signing Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t at the required level to earn a promotion.
Red Bull have concerns about Tsunoda, meaning they had to wait to see how Lawson coped alongside the Japanese driver for the final six races of the season.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
Hulkenberg signed for Sauber very early in 2024, meaning he was never a serious option to replace Perez this year even if Red Bull had considered him in the past.
Valtteri Bottas would have been the most realistic alternative as he goes into the 2025 season as a free agent.
However, Marko isn’t a fan of Bottas, and if Lawson struggles to adapt to being Verstappen’s teammate, the team are left in an even more difficult position than when Perez was failing to make the grade.
Leave feedback about this