Nico Hulkenberg Prepares for Life Away from Formula One

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg would be ousted from Renault, in favour of Esteban Ocon. The German driver has been seat-hunting, but so far, every available option is slamming shut.

As of the US Grand Prix 2019, only two seats hold realistic options in Formula 1 and neither are very lucrative. With Williams F1, Nicholas Latifi seems to be the favourite, while Alfa Romeo will most likely continue with Antonio Giovinazzi.

The German initially turned down a one-year contract extension at Renault owing to the lack of long term security in the sport. Another other for Hulkenberg could be a test driver role with one of the teams. Some time away from the sport could actually help him come back even stronger, if Daniil Kvyat is any proof.

So, with virtually no F1 option, Nico Hulkenberg could be forced to start exploring non-F1 options. In fact, one highly likely choice for the 32-year old German is the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with the BMW team. DTM is a strong option considering he is a German and he has a desire to continue racing.

According to the Italian branch of Motorsport, the German has accepted an offer from BMW. They also said that an official confirmation is expected on Tuesday after the US Grand Prix 2019.

The chances of Hulkenberg leaving Formula One have sky-rocketed. However, what works in the German’s favour is his experience in other fields. He did of course win the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours for Porsche.

Unfortunately, the WEC season has already begun, so finding a seat midway will be difficult. However, he could always gamble on a racing seat in Formula E, F1’s electric counterpart. Although most of the seats are filled, there are high chances of being picked up halfway through the season his quite high.