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Nico Hulkenberg is probably the hottest property on the F1 circuit right now. With his ever improving performances on the grid, the German driver has been cleaning up his reputation after it was tarnished by a rather inept car and team.
Hulkenberg had joined the Ferrari powered Sauber at the start of the year in a bid to try and get his name on the podium after two years at Force India (one as a reserve and one as a race driver) and a début season at Williams. However, his time with the Swiss team has been less than satisfactory as the car has proved to be as competitive as a snail.
In the first 10 races he managed to score only 7 points as Sauber failed to both pay him on time and give him a good car to drive. However, he has managed to push back now after the Swiss got some roubles from their new Russian backers to pay for their attack on the tracks. His relentless attack which began in Imola has brought him 32 points in 4 races.
The renewal of the German’s form has brought him back into the sights of teams like Lotus and Force India who are looking for a different driver for next season. Sauber too are looking to retain his services after the ‘Hulk‘, as he is known, helped them push the bad memories of the start of the season behind them.
So just what are Hulkenberg’s options on the track and which team will prove to be the best option for F1′s giant of a driver?
Sauber
Hulkenberg’s current team are looking to retain his services despite the fact that they have to field a young Russian teenage driver by the name of Sergei Sirotkin. Sergei Sirotkin is the son of Oleg Sirotkin, Director General of the National Institute of Aviation Technologies (NIAT), one of the Russian companies involved in the bailout that has helped Sauber to survive this year.
However, Sergei Sirotkin will have to get a FIA Super Licence before he is drafted into the team, and despite the fact that the young Russian upstart brings in an immense amount of investment into Sauber, his lack of racing experience will ensure that he does not get the first driver’s spot in the roster. With Esteban Gutierrez proving to be a no-show, Hulkenberg will get the first driver’s spot if he stays.
However, his relationship with the team hasn’t been a good one especially with the delays in both his salary and upgrades to the car, and Hulkenberg does have better options available. He could still choose to stay, though that seems more unlikely by the day.
Force India
Force India started the season in good spirits, as Vijay Mallaya’s team managed to keep a struggling McLaren behind them for the first half of the season. However, the team seems to have lost its edge as they have gone into a rut after the mid-season tests brought about by the tyre change.
Hulkenberg moving back to his former employers could come as a boon to both sides. Hulkenberg’s time at Force India was one of his most successful stints and considering the fact that the team’s current drivers are barely doing anything worthwhile, a move there might prove fruitful this time around too.
Another thing helping the team and Hulkenberg out will be the fact that they don’t have problems with funding. Force India seem to get updates in time for their car and they take that quite seriously which, coupled with the Hulk’s aggression, can lead to good results. This was seen in Hulkenberg’s last race with the team in Brazil where he was leading the field.
For Hulkenberg the move can be seen as both good and bad. The good part is that he can get into a competitive car again for the next season. The bad part though is knowing that he would still be fighting it out in the middle of the pack.
Lotus
Raikkonen’s move to Ferrari have opened the gates wide for Hulkenberg to stake a claim to the empty seat at Lotus. Both the German and Lotus have stated that they are negotiating with each other and if the deal does work out, Lotus could have the best line-up of younger drivers in 2014.
Just what does Lotus give Hulkenberg? The biggest plus point for the German will be the assurance that he will be driving a car capable of competing with and beating the best in the business. Lotus have shown over the past three seasons that they can bring cars and upgrades that can really screw up the plans of the Red Bulls, Ferraris and Mercs. Though the cars aren’t the best with regards to straight-line speed, their handling capabilities more than make up for the small amount of time they lose on the straights.
However, on the other hand, Lotus do have funding problems and the fact that Hulkenberg himself does not bring in that much money could prove to be a hindrance, though his pay package is not as big as Kimi’s. Also, Lotus themselves are not that well known for paying their drivers on time (just ask Kimi), so in the end money could prove to be the problem for both sides.
