Racing Point substitute Nico Hulkenberg says his eleventh hour call-up didn't allow him to extract the most from his car during qualifying for the British Grand Prix.
Hulkenberg was drafted in by Racing Point when Sergio Perez was ruled out of this weekend's action after the Mexican tested positive for COVID-19.
A seat fitting at the Silverstone-based team's factory followed by a simulation session early on Friday morning were the full extent of the German driver's preparation.
Hulkenberg got acquainted with his mount over the course of three practice sessions during which he acquitted himself, running consistently among the top ten.
But Saturday's quali was always going to be a challenging exercise for the Hulk who made the Q2 cut but clocked in P13 thereafter, missing out on the top-ten shootout in which his teammate Lance stroll finished 6th.
"I feel there was more potential and I didn’t get everything from the table, but given the circumstances it’s also very hard," Hi-ulkenberg admitted.
"I don’t know if you can expect to get 100% from the car in those circumstances. It was small margins.
"Q3 was not far away. We played around with the different compounds so that was a bit tricky also with the rhythm. It is what it is for today."
Hulkenberg has been keeping fit during his time away from F1, but Silverstone's high-speed layout was still a challenge for the 32-year-old.
"These cars are beasts," he admitted. "They have so much downforce, I’ve never felt so much speed in the corners here. It’s pretty impressive. But also tough."
©RacingPoint
Having qualified outside the top ten, Hulkenberg is banking on his free choice of tyres for Sunday's race to perhaps gain a strategic edge.
"That’s always a good option," he said. "I think some of the other top 10 runners, they’re also starting on the harder tyre, the medium. So it’s going to be interesting to see.
"For me, there’s so many new inputs. Every situation I enter into with the car is new.
"First time quali, first time low fuel, first time high fuel. So I have to learn, soak everything in, digest it fastest which hasn’t been easy. But I’ve also been enjoying it."
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