Nico Hulkenberg – “Red Bull Asked Me to Stop Calling”

Nico Hulkenberg is currently out of a racing seat for the 2020 Formula One season. However, there are chances that we may not see the last of the German driver. After being sidelined by Renault for Esteban Ocon, there were rumours that he could head to Haas F1. Unfortunately, Haas F1 retained Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, thus the door was slammed in his face.

However, Hulkenberg has admitted that driving for Red Bull is still “a dream” for him. Sadly, he has been rejected by Helmut Marko as a viable option for the future. According to Nico Hulkenberg: “I talked to Dr. Marko all August. At some point he said, ‘Don’t call me anymore!'”

“That goes back to when everything with Renault was announced. As much as I want to continue in Formula 1… for me, it needs to make sense — it needs to be the right deal. I’m not desperate to stay in Formula 1 and just take anything. I’m not disregarding or disrespecting Williams. I mean in general, globally, even with Haas. That is the most important for me.”

“That proves quite difficult in Formula 1. We know unless you have the right weapon or crazy circumstances, it’s tough. But the dream is still there and the fire. So step by step, first things first, and then we’ll see what happens.”

However, it was noteworthy that Auto Bild asked Helmut Marko about Nico Hulkenberg. Sadly for Hulk fans, Red Bull driver programme boss Marko answered bluntly: “No.”

Hulkenberg’s options are slowly dwindling as the 2020 seat are getting filled. However, one avenue is the RoKit Williams team, where Robert Kubica announced that he will not continue with them next season.

The only question is, will Hulkenberg take the bait? Admittedly, Williams are not exactly the best team on the grid, but if he is desperate enough, he would do it. Alternately, he could do what he did in 2011 and take a year off and wait for an opportunity. After all, it worked for the man replacing him, Esteban Ocon.