Nico Hülkenberg will make his Formula 1 return this year, the German receiving a promotion from Force India's reserve to a full-time race seat alongside Paul di Resta. The 24-year-old talks exclusively to GPUpdate.net about what he learned in 2011, the season ahead and how he expects to fair against his new team-mate...
You are now deservedly back in Formula 1 full-time, having spent a year out of racing. Was the news a slight relief as well as very exciting?
Absolutely. It was a huge relief and now I am really excited to start the new season. Obviously I knew (the line-up) a bit earlier than the announcement was made. But still, it was a long and hard time not knowing about my future.
Looking back at 2011 briefly, what did you learn the most from your experiences as a reserve driver?
I learnt especially about the progresses happening outside of the car during a race weekend. For most of the sessions I was sitting on the pit wall and now I understand what the engineers are doing there.
Force India definitely grew stronger and stronger as the year went on. With this in mind, do you think the team can start this season just as well as it ended 2011?
Yes, I think it is possible. However, it will not be easy at all. We had a strong package at the end of the season, so obviously we want to continue from where we stopped.
Are you hopeful that the team can perform well on both high and low downforce circuits?
Yes, of course. Actually, we were quite competitive on every type of circuit last year. If you want to finish fifth in the Constructors' Championship, then it is simply necessary. If you're just performing well on one certain type of circuit, you cannot be successful.
What will be your personal race by race target this year?
For me personally, I just want to establish myself in Formula 1. I want to deliver well to make sure I will still be in the sport in 2013 and many years beyond. I cannot say figures like "I want to have X amount of points" - that is not possible. I want to do as well as possible and meet the team's expectations.
Do you expect to match di Resta straight away and how much does that mean to you?
Obviously in Formula 1 you always want to beat your team-mate. This will be very tough, because Paul is very talented and has a good approach.
Plus, I will need some races to re-find my former level of performance. But we will hopefully push each other and, by doing that, push the team forward as well.
And a little off-topic; who out of the many 2011 Formula 1 drivers currently without a seat will you miss the most in 2012?
It's hard to say, but I hope that both of my former team-mates, Adrian (Sutil) and
Rubens (Barrichello), will have a seat in 2012.
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