Nico Hulkenberg says he rekindled his desire to return to F1 last summer, which led to him contacting the Haas team to convey his interest in racing for the US outfit.
After his last full season in F1 with Renault in 2019, Hulkenberg endorsed the role of F1 super-sub, replacing Racing Point's Covid-stricken drivers Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll at two events in 2020 and then filling in for Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel in the first two races of 2022.
Thereafter, Hulkenberg's aspirations to return to the grid progressively grew.
"Obviously [after] '19 I was out and I was happy, I had some distance and some breather from it," said the 35-year-old German.
"In 2021, nothing much happened, and even at the beginning of this year, I wasn't stressing or thinking about it too much.
"But then coming towards the summer, it somehow grew in me again. When I came and visited races, and saw the action and the excitement, I had the desire to come back.
"And then the discussions started."
©AstonMartin
Although he was enjoying life "out of the driver's seat", as discussions ramped up with Haas, especially last month when talks became more concrete, Hulkenberg's motivation to return to the fray and an urge to "kick ass" followed.
"It sort of crept back - the desire to come back on the grid, to go racing, to kick ass, to be in the driving seat. So there was no fear," he said.
Hulkenberg, who holds the unenviable record in F1 as the driver with the most Grand Prix starts who has never stood on the podium, will het acquainted with his Haas team as soon as Tuesday in Abu Dhabi where he will take part in Pirelli's test day.
While familiar with F1's new-generation car thanks to his experience at the start of the season with Aston Martin, the German expects that it will take "a couple of runs to get up to speed, familiarise with the car and work from there".
"The most important thing for tomorrow is just for me to get my head around F1 and especially this Haas car, to understand it, as it's a bit of a headstart for next year," he said.
"Three days' pre-season testing is not a lot before the first event. So that's just for me a little teaser, to get a feel for this car and how the systems work, driver fit stuff, a lot of basics as well that you can already clear and get out of the way."
"You never know until it's signed, but I think the last month, it got more and more concrete and serious, and I was getting more optimistic and confident that we can agree a deal," Hulkenberg explained on Monday at the Yas Marina Circuit."
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