Hülkenberg: “Happy, but not 100%”

Replaced by Pastor Maldonado at Williams after a good campaign in 2010, Nico Hulkenberg waited for a season before finding a starting role within the Force India team. During an interview given to the official website of the Formula 1, the 2009 GP2 Series champion gives his first impressions on his return to the premier category of motorsport. “ So far I'm really happy with my season, explains the German. It was a bit difficult at the start, but we constantly improved the car and we were fighting for points on a lot of circuits. However, I think we could have scored a few more points. Especially in the first races since bad luck cost me some good results. So I'm happy, but not 100%. »

After a season spent as a test driver at Force India in 2011, the young German, who just celebrated his 25th birthday on August 19, had to get back into the swing of things at the start of the year before gaining momentum . “ I made a few mistakes in the first races of the championship and I think I could have done better on a few occasions, He continues. This is particularly the case in qualifying when Paul (di Resta) finishes in front of me. But now it's changing and I feel really good. Of course, everything is not perfect, but my performances have improved since the start of the season. »

For the nine remaining Grands Prix, Nico Hülkenberg does not want to err on the side of optimism, knowing full well that his VJM05 still has some shortcomings. “ Even though we have improved the car, we have to remain realistic. Our race pace is lower than that of Sauber, Williams and the top teams. However, we can beat Sauber, Williams or Mercedes when our weekend goes off without the slightest problem. This often happens in qualifying, but during a Grand Prix, there are 50, 60 or 70 laps to do in front of cars faster than ours. Our race pace currently shows where we are in the hierarchy. »