Nico Hülkenberg, while admitting that nerves could kick in while waiting to be confirmed in a 2012 Force India race seat, adds that he was sure of returning to Formula 1 next season. Having been dropped by Williams, the German has spent a year on the substitute bench while taking part in several Friday practice sessions.
Hülkenberg surprised all by clinching pole position for Williams at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, only to be replaced at the Grove team by Pastor Maldonado. When signed up by Force India, he was all but promised a 2012 race position.
“It was not the most comfortable situation to be in,” he told the official F1 website of the months that preceded last week’s driver announcement. “But now the only thing that really counts is that I am back on the grid and I have forgotten all those days of guessing and hoping.
“For as long as you haven't been given a thumbs up that your future is secured, you always feel some light tension. It was a fantastic moment when all the pressure suddenly fell away. There had been some positive signs in the middle of the season; I always got good feedback from the team, so I was actually quite optimistic that in 2012 I would be back and that there would be no more ‘third-man’ role for me.”
When asked to describe how he was told the news by Chairman and Team Principal Vijay Mallya, Hülkenberg explained:
“He said that he believed in my talent and that I deserved a seat, which is an enormous compliment and great evidence of his trust.”
With Hülkenberg joining Paul di Resta next year, Adrian Sutil is one of several drivers now chasing the final Williams seat alongside Maldonado.
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