Jun.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has slammed reports linking Nico Hulkenberg with Red Bull for 2020.
It has been claimed the German, who has looked strong alongside former Red Bull star Daniel Ricciardo at Renault this year, could replace Pierre Gasly for 2020.
But also rumoured is that Max Verstappen could head to Mercedes, making Hulkenberg an ideal candidate to be the new Red Bull ‘number 1’.
“These rumours are so far-fetched that I or we do not even want to comment on them anymore,” Dr Marko, who heads the Red Bull driver programme, told Auto Bild.
“It’s totally nonsense. That’s what I told Gasly, who even called me,” he added.
Another recent rumour is that Red Bull has lost a key engineer – Marco Adurno – to Ferrari.
Marko said: “That’s right, but it’s quite normal. There is a constant rotation at that engineering level between us, Ferrari and other teams so it’s not worth mentioning.”
He also admitted that Red Bull-Honda’s best shot at winning a race in 2019 will probably not come this weekend in Canada.
“In Montreal, Ferrari stands a chance because of their strong engine,” said Marko.
“Of course we will try everything, but our time will come at the latest from the race in Singapore, when Honda has the latest engine update and our car works much better with it.”