Nico Hulkenberg Reveals the Sad State of the 2021 F1 Driver Market and His Possible Return

Former F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg recently opened up on his chances of a seat in Formula 1 beyond 2021. Furthermore, the German gave his thoughts on how the Coronavirus would affect the driver market for next season.

Nico Hulkenberg on a possible return to F1

While Hulkenberg may not have a racing seat this year, he hasn’t really missed a whole lot. Thanks to the epidemic, F1 has canceled or postponed nearly half the calendar this season. Moreover, The sport is yet to go racing in 2020 and is already down 9 races with another possible postponement looming large.

With the regulations staying the same, many believe teams are likely to re-sign drivers on short term contracts. However, some argue that a driver staying on or moving for a one-off season with a team would have no benefit. Because Formula 1 teams often plan for the long term with a specific agenda in mind.

Either way, Hulkenberg’s chances at a comeback next season are very slim. Speaking exclusively to Auto Motor und Sport, Nico opened up on how the driver market affects him.

“Good question. It is difficult to answer. Somehow, everything is out of balance and normal rhythm. The ‘silly season’, the transfer time does not take place at the moment. Without a race, nobody can stand out positively or negatively. We are in a state of limbo.”

“At the moment everything is speculative. It is not possible to predict how the cards will fall. The situation is new to everyone. If the season starts, many questions will arise.”

“ So I can only stay on the ball, watch and hope that I am in the right place at the right time.”

Hulkenberg can find some solace knowing Esteban Ocon managed to return to F1 after spending a year on the sidelines. As a result, It would be a little early to rule out the Hulk’s return to the sport entirely.

Nico also talked about the effect of the Coronavirus on the financial side for the smaller teams.

“There is a risk if there is no business. Not just in sports. It is not without. You have to react to it right now and change things.

While Hulkenberg wasn’t quite on a superhuman level in F1, his exit from the sport wasn’t justifiable.