Nico Hülkenberg remains a competitor to his German compatriot Mick Schumacher in the fight for the Formula 1 driver’s seat at the US racing team Haas.
As the “Bild” newspaper reports, the 35-year-old is in talks with the team about a contract for the coming season. However, the speculation is not new, more than two weeks ago the US television station ESPN brought the experienced Hülkenberg into play as the hottest candidate for the Schumacher successor.
The contract of 23-year-old Schumacher expires after two years at the end of the season. Haas team boss Günther Steiner emphasized again on Thursday in the Singapore paddock that the team was taking its time with a decision regarding the second pilot alongside the Dane Kevin Magnussen and that they wanted to see how Schumacher developed. “We don’t want to make the wrong decision,” said Steiner.
When the 57-year-old spoke these words in front of the team accommodation, Hülkenberg happened to be sitting just a few meters away. In his role as reserve driver at Aston Martin, the experienced driver is also on site in Asia. The relationship between Steiner and Hulkenberg is considered impeccable. Steiner did not comment on any candidates other than his current protégé Schumacher before the race on Sunday (2 p.m. / Sky) in Singapore.
Hulkenberg used to be a regular driver in Formula 1 and completed a total of 181 races in the premier class of motorsport. After the end of his contract with Renault after the 2019 season, he did not get a permanent job and drew attention to himself several times as a sovereign temporary driver. The Rhinelander, who is still in top shape, last contested the two World Championship races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the Aston Martin at the beginning of the year as a substitute for Sebastian Vettel, who was then infected with the corona virus.
