Nico Hulkenberg says he is relieved at getting a race seat with Force India for 2012 – Formula 1
Nico Hulkenberg says securing the race seat for 2012 with Force India was a relief for him.
There had been speculation for several months over the German’s inclusion in Force India, but nothing had been confirmed. Vijay Mallya owner of Force India announced the line up for 2012 a day later than the deadline.
Hulkenberg had remained a reserve driver for Force India in 2011 and it was being rumoured that he would replace Adrian Sutil for 2012. After the announcement was made last week, Hulkenberg felt a relieved man. Sutil although said that he was surprised and
disappointed at his axing and said that he hoped to continue with Force India.
Hulkenberg said that because he remained a reserve driver for the 2011 season, it has helped him stay fit and ready for the upcoming season. He admitted that he did not get a lot of track time during the season but said that he is very quick to adapt.
He also said that he found out the news before it was made public, but he had good vibes from the team since mid season. As he always got good feedback from the team members and that gave him the confidence that he would soon get a race seat.
“As you just said, it was a relief,” Hulkenberg told the official F1 website. “For as long as you haven't been given a thumbs-up that your future is secured, you always feel some 'light' tension. It was a fantastic moment when all the pressure suddenly fell
away.”
“Of course I learnt it a little earlier than the public. And there had been some positive signs in the middle of the season. I always got good feedback from the team, so I was actually quite optimistic that in 2012 I would be back and that there would be
no more 'third-man' role for me,” he further added.
It would be interesting to see how Hulkenberg performs during the 2012 season. There is no doubt that there will be pressure on him to perform well as Force India has been doing very well during the previous two seasons and hope to keep the upward trend
going.
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