Nico Hulkenberg Takes a Dig at Esteban Ocon Over Rumours of Renault Move

Earlier in the week, there were a number of rumours surrounding the 2020 Formula One seats. Some said that Esteban Ocon would be heading to Renault, in place of Nico Hulkenberg. Naturally, it was dismissed as pure speculation, as Hulkenberg had been their saving grace last year. He even finished as best of the rest in the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

So recently, the German posted a story on Instagram of a screenshot of an AutoHebdo magazine. That magazine appeared to confirm that Esteban Ocon was confirmed at Renault in 2020, in place of Nico Hulkenberg. The Hulk, though, had a different take on the whole situation.

It was worth noting though, that the article all but stopped short of confirming Ocon’s arrival at the French team.

If this is true, then, Mercedes and Renault would be honouring each other’s ‘gentleman’s agreement’. Apparently, Ocon was supposed to head to Renault this year, to partner Hulkenberg. However, Daniel Ricciardo beat them to the punch by throwing in his chips, after his sensational switch from Red Bull.

Fast-forward to the current season, and the speculation surrounding Hulkenberg’s future is rife. Some have placed him at Haas F1, if the American outfit elect to sack one of their drivers, with Romain Grosjean looking the likely choice.

However, some other, wilder rumours, place the German in F1’s electric cousin, Formula E. The sixth season of Formula E is set to begin on November 22nd in Saudi Arabia. By then, the 2019 F1 season would have concluded, giving Nico Hulkenberg plenty of free time on his hands. There are also a number of vacant seats available, if he ever decides to go shopping for Formula E seats.

Currently, Nissan e.DAMS, BMW Andretti, Jaguar, Mahindra, Mercedes and NIO, have two vacant slots each. Similarly, he could partner Brendon Hartley at GEOX Dragon or reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne at DS Techeetah. Maybe then he could finally break his podium jinx or even grab a few wins, if he ever decides to join the latter.

Nico Hulkenberg will also be surrounded by familiar faces, like the aforementioned, Hartley (a former teammate at Porsche) and Vergne. In addition to that, he could rub shoulders with another former Porsche WEC teammate, Neel Jani. Other familiar faces include former FE champion Lucas di Grassi, and Felipe Massa.

However, Hulkenberg has insisted that