Nico Hulkenberg is keen to return to Formula One next year and has revealed he would consider driving for Alfa Romeo on the right terms.
At the last two races at Silverstone, Hulkenberg was drafted in by Racing Point to replace Sergio Perez, who was ruled out of both races by positive coronavirus tests. Hulkenberg failed to start the first race after the engine failed to fire up, but qualified third on the grid at the second race and finished seventh.
Hulkenberg last raced full-time in F1 for Renault in 2019, but was replaced by Esteban Ocon this year. Speaking after Sunday’s race, he told the F1 Nation podcast that he had already held talks with Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur and would consider a drive with the team next year.
“Yes, yes is the short answer,” he said when asked if he would consider Alfa Romeo, which has spent the majority of this season at the back of the grid. “I mean doing a deal, there’s several terms that play into it — it’s the whole package, I guess.
“I’m very keen to go racing again in Formula One. I still love it here, it’s my passion. I’m not desperate but I’d certainly love to come back and be racing again. “I’ve been talking to Fred [Vasseur, Alfa Romeo Team Principal] quite frequently in the last few months…”
Alfa Romeo, which is the same Sauber team Hulkenberg raced for in 2013 under a different name, currently has 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari Driver Academy member Antonio Giovinazzi in its two cars.
Raikkonen, 40, is out of contract at the end of the year and Giovinazzi’s drive is linked to the team’s naming deal with Alfa Romeo. Vasseur said it was too early to talk about replacing either driver next year and that the team’s current focus is on moving back up the grid.
“Honestly it’s a bit too early for us,” Vasseur F1’s other official podcast, Beyond the Grid. “I need to discuss the point with my shareholders and to know what Kimi wants to do. And I don’t want to disturb the team so far.
“It would be the worst kind of scenario to try to have those discussions today.
“We have to recover because I want to be attractive to drivers, and I’m not sure we can convince someone to join when we are struggling. We first need to recover and then convince drivers to join.”