Nico Hulkenberg says being tipped as a potential replacement to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen “does not touch me”, although the Force India driver admits it would be “silly” not to test the waters ahead of next year.
Hulkenberg has recently returned to the limelight by securing back-to-back points finishes in Canada and Austria, with a stunning Le Mans 24 Hours win on debut sandwiched in-between.
But the 27-year-old, who was already linked to Ferrari when he was putting giantkilling performances at Sauber in 2013, remains cautious when it comes to picturing himself at Maranello in the near future.
“Usually you do two good races and that’s what happens,” Hulkenberg told reporters at Silverstone. “It does not appeal or touch me very much to be honest. I’ve had that before. It does not say much at the moment.
“Of course, you check the options, check the market, what’s available or what could become available. It would be silly not to do so.
“It’s not all fully in my hands, in my control. There are other things and factors that play into this as well. I think it’s still early days. I’m happy and comfortable where I am. I’ll just keep fighting and working away.”
Hulkenberg enjoyed a strong start to his 2015 campaign with a solid P7 in Melbourne’s season-opener but then experienced a slight dip in performance while team-mate Sergio Perez secured eye-catching results, especially in Bahrain and Monaco.
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley recently told F1i that winning Le Mans has helped the German regain his confidence, an opinion shared by Hulkenberg himself.
“It’s all been really positive. Having won a race again is good for a driver and a driver’s ego. It gives you a boost and self-confidence and confirms that I’m still able to drive fast.
“I feel comfortable. The most important for me is to keep performing just to reach my 100%, my maximum every weekend. That’s the best I can do and the other things will fall into place anyway.”
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