Lotus Team Principal Eric Boullier has confirmed that he is in talks with Nico Hulkenberg over a 2014 race seat.
RichlandF1 reported earlier in the week that talks between Kimi Raikkonen's management and Lotus would take place very soon with the Finn having two very clear options, Lotus or Red Bull.
Should the 2007 world champion make the switch, it would open up a prime front running seat that Hulkenberg would fit into quite well. The German has proved his worth at three different teams in his three year F1 career - starting at Williams in 2010 before moving to Force India and being promoted to a race seat for 2012, moving shortly after to Sauber for this season - and is highly respected in the F1 paddock.
However if the Finn remains at Lotus then the seat could still be available with the continuous question mark hanging over Romain Grosjean's future - would Hulkenberg be a safer bet?
Speaking to France's L'Equipe Boullier said: "I am in contact with Nico."
The short statement said a lot of things. Firstly that there is a very real possibility that they will loose their number one driver at the end of the year and they are battling to retain him, but also that there are other options available and that they obviously see Nico as a good successor to the 'Iceman'.
Boullier was also reported to have dropped Paul Di Resta's name into conversation. The Scot was linked to front running drives at McLaren and Mercedes last season before being retained by Force India. He has shown strong pace this year and is certainly proving to Nico Hulkenberg that he made the wrong decision.
Sauber are struggling at the moment, both on track and off it. With points being a rarity at the moment and the team continuing to struggle financially, Hulkenberg's contract was reportedly terminated due to the German not being paid for May or June. This means that he is a free agent and can leave when he liked but it is widely expected that he will stay on for the remainder of the year.
One key stumbling block that could see Raikkonen stay at Lotus and keep that seat open is that Red Bull's Helmut Marko is keen for a decision to be made "in the summer," but Raikkonen is is no rush to make up his mind anytime soon.
Talking to Austrian television he said: "Budapest is the beginning of the summer break. Spa at the end. So it [the decision] will fall some time in August,"
Marko also expects a long time commitment to the team, "it shouldn't be for only one year," and wants to strong drivers to propel the Milton Keynes based team to more success.
With silly season kicking off once more and several headlining drivers up for grabs, the driver market is about to get very interesting.
 |
| (c) Octane Photographic |
Should the 2007 world champion make the switch, it would open up a prime front running seat that Hulkenberg would fit into quite well. The German has proved his worth at three different teams in his three year F1 career - starting at Williams in 2010 before moving to Force India and being promoted to a race seat for 2012, moving shortly after to Sauber for this season - and is highly respected in the F1 paddock.
However if the Finn remains at Lotus then the seat could still be available with the continuous question mark hanging over Romain Grosjean's future - would Hulkenberg be a safer bet?
Speaking to France's L'Equipe Boullier said: "I am in contact with Nico."
The short statement said a lot of things. Firstly that there is a very real possibility that they will loose their number one driver at the end of the year and they are battling to retain him, but also that there are other options available and that they obviously see Nico as a good successor to the 'Iceman'.
Boullier was also reported to have dropped Paul Di Resta's name into conversation. The Scot was linked to front running drives at McLaren and Mercedes last season before being retained by Force India. He has shown strong pace this year and is certainly proving to Nico Hulkenberg that he made the wrong decision.
Sauber are struggling at the moment, both on track and off it. With points being a rarity at the moment and the team continuing to struggle financially, Hulkenberg's contract was reportedly terminated due to the German not being paid for May or June. This means that he is a free agent and can leave when he liked but it is widely expected that he will stay on for the remainder of the year.
One key stumbling block that could see Raikkonen stay at Lotus and keep that seat open is that Red Bull's Helmut Marko is keen for a decision to be made "in the summer," but Raikkonen is is no rush to make up his mind anytime soon.
Talking to Austrian television he said: "Budapest is the beginning of the summer break. Spa at the end. So it [the decision] will fall some time in August,"
Marko also expects a long time commitment to the team, "it shouldn't be for only one year," and wants to strong drivers to propel the Milton Keynes based team to more success.
With silly season kicking off once more and several headlining drivers up for grabs, the driver market is about to get very interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment