Getting a starting seat in Formula 1 is one of the most difficult tasks, but it is even more difficult to return after being out of the top category of motorsport for a few years. In the case of Nico Hülkenberg , the German has been able to stay close to the circuits since his departure from Renault was confirmed in 2019 as a reserve for the Silverstone structure, with Racing Point first and Aston Martin later.
The German was the spare part in those in pink during the 2020 campaign when Lance Stroll and Sergio Pérez contracted COVID-19 and that prevented them from participating in the Nurburgring and 70th Anniversary races, as happened in the current course when he was the replacement for Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Thus, Hülkenberg, in addition to being the driver with the most races held without getting on the podium in history, has been participating in at least one appointment on the calendar since 2010 , with the exceptions of 2011 and 2021.
However, the 35-year -old is not giving up and believes that he could return to Formula 1 at some point. He still retains the reserve position at Aston Martin, and although Fernando Alonso and Lace Stroll have their place confirmed for the next season, there is little hope within the German to fill a gap in 2023 on the grid.
“Obviously, if you’re not on the track, you don’t have the pressure to get a good result, and there’s no pressure from the media,” he acknowledged on Lissie Mackintosh’s YouTube channel. “So it’s a more relaxed situation, but there are times when I miss racing, the adrenaline and being on the grid.
“Since I’ve been number three [reserve driver], I haven’t trained as intensively as I did at the beginning of my career, partly because I’ve only raced in emergencies when I had to intervene,” Hülkenberg continued. “But who knows, maybe an opportunity will come in 2023 or in the future, so I recently started training more intensively.”
The German could only get a steering wheel for 2023 if it is at Haas as a replacement for Mick Schumacher, who has been criticized a lot for his inconsistency and accidents, or at Williams, although everything indicates that it will be Logan Sargeant who rises from Formula 2 if it is done with the super license to occupy the place of Nicholas Latifi.
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