Talented Nico Hulkenberg deserves a better team

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg needs a change of team to achieve greater heights

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg has been impressive ever since he arrived in the Formula One scene. Be it as a rookie in Williams in 2010 where he showed his potential or his not-so-old career in Formula One where his performance has exceeded all expectations.

While in Wiliams, he outperformed his senior team-mate Rubens Barrichello on multiple occasions. He even went on to grab a pole position in the Brazilian Grand Prix in his debut year, outpacing the dominant Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull by over a second. This was just a glimpse of how good he could be.

His subsequent year as a test driver in Force India certainly made him a better and more consistent driver as he displayed greater and better skills when promoted to a race driver for the Silverstone based outfit in 2012.

He finished in the points 11 times during his stint in Force India with three top 5 finishes which included a brilliant race in the Belgian Grand Prix where he almost landed a podium finish, but ultimately had to settle for 4th place.

After a successful season with Force India, it was clear that the German has the potential to perform better if equipped with better machines. It was perhaps for this reason that Swiss team Sauber decided to rope in Hulkenberg for the 2013 season.

But unfortunately for the German, the move has not paid off so far. The team is currently at 8th place in the team standings, way behind 6th place Sahara Force India (61 points), Hulkenberg’s former team.

Adding to his trouble is the recent developments in his current team Sauber. The Swiss team is neck-deep in financial woes. Russian investors are going to fund their future project, but the bail-out came with a price.

Sauber has reportedly agreed to reserve a driver’s seat for a Russian rookie, Sergey Sirotkin starting next season. The rumour is increasingly gaining momentum with inside reports, and the presence of Sirotkin in the Sauber garage during the Italian Grand Prix seemed like a confirmation.

Despite all the odds against him, Hulkenberg has been impressive with his driving. The way he out-qualified the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the last Grand Prix at Monza and finished 5th in the race was another reminder that he is a much better driver than what his points show.

For as good a driver as he is, Hulkenberg certainly deserves a better team which can tap his full potential. Ferrari was reported to be interested in him as a possible replacement for the outgoing Felipe Massa. But the negotiations didn’t come to fruition due to the agreement between the Maranello based team and Finn driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Hulkenberg is now said to be looking for a possible seat in Lotus. If he gets it, then it would be the ideal team for him, under the current circumstances. He is quick and has the knack of outracing bigger opponents of bigger teams. With a better car, he certainly can do much better, and if the car is the one from the Lotus garage, it will work wonders for him.

Even a return to his former team Force India sounds like a good option. The way Force India has grown through the years and given their performance this year, Hulkenberg can outdo what he did in 2012, if he returns.

All in all, the bottom-line is that Hulkenberg has the potential to make it big in the sport and achieve great things. He certainly deserves a better team that can provide him the right platform for his launch in the big league.