Helmut Marko Admits He May Have Been Wrong About Checo Pérez
As Checo Pérez begins a new chapter in Formula 1 ahead of the 2026 season with Cadillac, Helmut Marko once again sparks controversy by claiming that Red Bull made a mistake in signing the Mexican and that Nico Hülkenberg would have been a better choice
Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez is back in the spotlight. After more than a month away from competition, the Mexican driver is already looking ahead to the 2026 Formula 1 season and is feeling optimistic following his first tests with Cadillac, held this weekend at the Silverstone circuit.
While the Guadalajara-born driver enjoys this new chapter with the American team, criticism from his Red Bull past has resurfaced. Helmut Marko, who worked with Pérez during his time at the Milton Keynes outfit, once again questioned his signing and claimed that the Austrian team made the wrong decision in hiring him. According to the former advisor, Nico Hülkenberg would have been a better option.
Speaking to oe24, Marko recalled that when Red Bull was choosing a driver, both Pérez and the German were considered. However, the Mexican’s victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix—where he produced a memorable comeback from the back of the grid—ultimately proved decisive in tipping the scales in his favor.
With the passage of time—and still mindful of the 2024 season, as well as the continuation of inconsistent results in 2025—Marko now believes that the decision may have been a mistake. ‘Perhaps we were wrong to sign Checo. We were in talks with Hülkenberg, but Pérez won in Bahrain and that decided everything,’ he said.
The Austrian added that he now sees Nico as a more solid driver: ‘Hülkenberg is better now. As he gets older, he makes fewer mistakes, which is why he secured a good contract with Audi.’ Marko also noted that the German was always highly regarded for his good relationship with Max Verstappen.
Looking ahead to 2026, both Checo Pérez and Hülkenberg are among the most experienced drivers on the grid. The Mexican will begin his 15th F1 season, having competed in 281 Grands Prix, with six wins and 39 podiums. Meanwhile, Nico will enter his 16th campaign, with 250 races and a single podium, achieved at last year’s British Grand Prix, ending a long drought of 239 races without a top-three finish.
