Who Should Occupy the Second Red Bull Seat?

Much has been said of who Max's rightful teammate should be for next season. Here were going to do a statistical breakdown of how they shake out. Think about who you'd want. We'll reveal the correct pick at the bottom!

Percentage Points to Teammate (two most recent years): 

Albon - 0.6662432214%

Perez - 208%

Nico - 282% (includes Palmer Season)

Average Qualifying Position: 

Albon 9.7, Hulkenburg - 10.4, Perez - 11

Podiums: 

Sergio - 9, Albon - 1, Nico - 0

Podiums per season: 

Sergio - .9, Albon - .5, Nico - 0

Poles:

Nico - 1/Sergio - 0/Albon - 0 

Most Recent Salary: 

Albon - $2.5 M, Perez - $8 M, Nico - $4.5 M

Cost per point: 

Alex Albon: $15,432

Nico Hulkenburg: $23,584

Sergio Perez: $80,144

Expected Points Gap (Most Recent Full-Season): 

Perez: +15.5

Hulkenburg: +8

Albon: -35

Teammate Strength (Lower is Better):

Albon: 7 

Hulkenburg: 8

Perez: 17

So, statistically speaking (Keep in Mind, Lower is Better):

On value:

Albon - 5

Hulkenburg - 6

Perez - 8

On Pace:

Perez - 6

Hulkenburg - 7

Albon - 10

On Consistency:

Albon - 5 

Perez - 7 

Hulkenburg - 7

Final Scores:

Albon - 20

Hulkenburg - 20

Perez - 21

Average rank:

Albon - 1.67

Nico - 2

Perez - 2.13

You might be surprised by the data. As the real-world suggests, the margins between these three are quite fine. The difference is, based on the metrics used, the person with the best car should run away with it. Albon ranking equal with Hulkenburg works against his favor. 

Albon also wins most of his advantage through the value category. For a team with the resources of Red Bull, and with a spending cap on the horizon, its unclear how much this matters. Resultingly, Perez moves ahead of both for the seat. 

Ultimately, the data suggests Hulkenburg to be the better all-round driver, Perez to be the quickest on pace, and Albon to be the best bang for your buck. Let me know what you think in the comments below!