German Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg thinks just being a ‘substitute driver’ is not enough for the experienced 33-years-old. Talks are on with Mercedes and Aston Martin as their reserve driver, the German also demands a job as a TV commentator alongside.
Either two or nothing, the German is firm on his decision
The Emmerich am Rhein born driver has 179 Formula One race experience in his tally and has driven for numerous Formula One teams. For instance, the teams he raced for were Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault and Racing Point to be exact. The former Renault driver wished to have a job as a commentator in the Austrian channel Servus TV, else the German will not be in a position to discuss the deal.
thinking about this year and for sure the #hulkenback 2.0 was my special sporting moment .. finishing P8 and becoming driver of the day after no practice session and P20 on the Grid 🤠.. still a bit unreal, like all that happened in 2020 🤔 take care & stay positive everyone! pic.twitter.com/VW6KXTdlET
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) December 31, 2020
Regarding his wish to serve both as a substitute driver as well as TV Commentator, the former Force India driver stated, “A double job as a substitute pilot and TV commentator can be arranged, otherwise we wouldn’t talk about it.”
Hulkenberg further asserted, “As far as the test driver job is concerned, it looks very positive, we are finalizing it. But that’s not a full-time job, so it can be easily combined with work for ServusTV.”
Looking back at Nico’s past
Interestingly, Nico had talks with Red Bull and their CEO Helmut Marko on a potential contract deal. The Milton Keynes based team wished to rope in the experienced German to their team, however, with Sergio Perez’s brilliance saw the Double-Bull team move away from Nico and sign Perez instead.
Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Racing Point RP20 Mercedes on track during the F1 Eifel Grand Prix at Nuerburgring on October 11, 2020 in Nuerburg, Germany. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
Hulkenberg managed to amass 10 points with Racing Point last season and was placed at P15 in the driver’s standings. With pre-season testing closing in and main race just weeks away, it will now be interesting to see which way the German goes. The pre-season testing starts from March 12 while the main event starts from March 28 at Bahrain Grand Prix.
