Outside of sport in 2020, and with his hopes that driving in 2021 would seem tight after Renault opted to sign Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg’s hopes of a return to F1 in the near future seemed bleak. And yet, this weekend, after Sergio Pérez’s positive Covid-19 result, he’s back on the grid, driving possibly the most competitive car he’s ever had. Here’s the remarkable story of how the Germans returned to action with Racing Point at Silverstone …
When did Racing Point get close to Hulkenberg?
On Thursday, the number of Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer appeared on Hulkenberg’s phone. The German answered the call, and in the next few minutes, his heart began to beat faster.
He had been scheduled to go to Germany to do expert studies for the RTL television channel. Then I had to test drive a GT4 car for fun at the Nurburgring this weekend.
But out of nowhere, Hulkenberg, who spent the running of the bulls in Mallorca, had been unexpectedly released into F1, ironically by his former Force India teammate Sergio Pérez.
READ MORE: Pérez ruled out the British Grand Prix after testing positive for Covid-19
All F1 personnel must undergo a Covid-19 PCR test before entering the paddock, a procedure that has been implemented since the season restarted. Pérez did his thing, as always, only this time, the result of his test was not conclusive.
As required, he isolated himself, as did the small number of team members he had come into contact with, and waited for the results of the new test. Meanwhile, his Racing Point team needed to come up with a backup plan.
Why Hulkenberg and not a Mercedes reservation?
Before the season, Racing Point struck a deal with Mercedes, with whom they have a close relationship through the use of its engine and various other components, including its gearbox and suspension, to borrow from one of its reserve drivers. in case Perez or his teammate Lance Stroll was unable to participate in a race.
With Stoffel Vandoorne unavailable, due to his Formula E commitments, Szfanauer called the other reserve, Esteban Gutiérrez, as well as Hulkenberg, with whom he already has a good relationship, to verify his availability.
In the team’s mind, Hulkenberg made more sense for multiple reasons.
Not only do you know many of the staff very well, having previously competed for the squad when they ran under the Force India banner, but it remains a very fast and competitive option. And he is the best driver available with respect to the recent F1 experience he competed for Renault last year, alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
READ MORE: What Happens After Sergio Pérez’s Positive Covid-19 Test?
Hulkenberg didn’t leave F1 by choice, and he still feels he has much more to offer in F1. He’s been pushing for a comeback for 2021, first with Renault, before they settled on Fernando Alonso, and then he believes with Alfa Romeo, having raced for the team when they were Sauber, while team boss Fred Vasseur said it. highly rated.
So when Szafnauer called Thursday, Hulkenberg did not hesitate. He packed a bag and was on a plane in a matter of hours. Upon landing in the UK, he underwent a Covid-19 test and then headed to the Racing Point factory, opposite Silverstone, to settle into the seat.
Great Britain 2020: Nico Hulkenberg returns in first practice
Meanwhile, the team began organizing the monkey. Fortunately, it fitted, maybe a little tight, on a couple of Stroll’s.
Was Gutiérrez ever an option?
At the same time that Hulkenberg was traveling, Gutiérrez headed to Silverstone with his helmet, the Mexican is a resident of London, and entered the meadow on Thursday night. The 28-year-old has completed thousands of miles on the Mercedes simulator, but is a little rusty on the front of the track as he last competed in the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that ends the season.
However, Racing Point’s Plan A was Hulkenberg.
“Nico knows the team much more than Esteban and in that short period of time we had between learning that Checo couldn’t drive and someone who was driving, we had one day, it was key to getting someone to understand the team,” said Szafnauer.
“Nico has been with us for a long time, so he knows the engineers, he has been in our simulator before, he knows how we operate, and that will be key to catching up.”
He added: “We had to take him to England, go through the process of making sure he didn’t have the virus, get a super license form, and that’s not that easy, you have to go to the contract recognition board and then a super license “.
Nico Hulkenberg: ‘It doesn’t seem like the end’
How prepared was Hulkenberg to drive the RP20?
The German was expected to arrive at the circuit at 8 am, three hours before FP1. But there had to be another turn, since Hulkenberg was nowhere to be seen at the time.
It emerged that he did another test that morning and was awaiting those results. Without him, he was not allowed to enter the circuit, much less the paddock, according to Covid-19 protocols.
He cued several hours of waiting, giving the team time to complete the relevant paperwork to allow Hulkenberg to drive, and allowed the German to go through protocols like spending 45 minutes learning the wheel.
And when the testing center handed over the piece of paper, confirming it was negative, the German ran to the paddock, grabbed his jumpsuit, and made a line of bees towards the garage.
READ MORE: Why doesn’t Hulkenberg regret when he says goodbye to F1 for now?
Is Hulkenberg up to the challenge?
It’s a great opportunity for Hulkenberg, and the type very few drivers are fortunate to receive, particularly when it’s with a team that has the second-best car on the grid and is on the podium this weekend.
It is also a great question. Silverstone is a demanding and high speed circuit. Hulkenberg has maintained a good level of fitness, but it will be a great physical challenge this weekend, after so much time out of an F1 car. Just ask Lando Norris, who suffered bruises in Austria, for missing the recent F1 mileage.
But Hulkenberg will deal with it as it comes. He knows that he now has this weekend, and almost certainly the next, at Silverstone to achieve his two ambitions: to achieve an inaugural podium after the Grands Prix 179 weekends as a racing driver and to demonstrate to those who matter in the Paddock that deserves a full time seat in 2021.
