Hülkenberg becomes reserve driver for Aston Martin

This time, Nico Hulkenberg is warned well in advance. The German signed his reserve driver contract for Aston Martin this Thursday, April 7, in a team for which he had replaced Sergio Pérez at short notice at Silverstone then Lance stroll at the Nürburgring in 2020, due to Covid-19.

thinking about this year and for sure the #hulkenback 2.0 was my special sporting moment .. finishing P8 and becoming driver of the day after no practice session and P20 on the Grid .. still a bit unreal, like all that happened in 2020 take care & stay positive everyone! pic.twitter.com/VW6KXTdlET

- Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) December 31, 2020

“It’s great to sign this deal with so much anticipation – last year I didn’t have as much time to prepare before jumping in the car, remarks the man with 176 Grand Prix starts. I am very happy to work with this team again – with whom I have driven several times during my career (in 2012 then from 2014 to 2016 during Force India. Editor’s note).

Obviously, I hope that Sebastian (Hag) and Lance (Stroll) will enjoy more "normal" seasons this year, but the team knows they can count on me to step in and do a great job, and I'm more than ready to take on that challenge. »

Work on the simulator also awaits the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015. “It will be interesting to help develop the team throughout the season, and I'm really looking forward to putting out some strong lap times at the factory. »

Otmar Szafnauer, CEO and director of the English team, specifies the usefulness of a 2021 reservist, a job long treated casually by the teams before regaining a central role in recent months.

“In these difficult times, the requirement for a competent and experienced reserve pilot is particularly important. Nico proved last year that he can jump in the car and perform at any time; now, with additional preparation and onboarding opportunities, we know we can count on him to do a great job. »