ABU DHABI: Force India’s German driver Nico Hulkenberg will race for Sauber next year, the Swiss-based Formula 1 team announced on Wednesday.
The team have yet to confirm their second driver, with Mexican Sergio Perez leaving for McLaren to replace Lewis Hamilton – who is off to Mercedes – and Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi facing an uncertain future.
Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, the current test and reserve driver in a heavily Mexican-backed team, appears the frontrunner for the second seat and will take part in a young driver test after this weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi.
Hulkenberg, 25, won the GP2 support series in 2009 and had a debut season at Williams in 2010 before being dropped to make way for well-funded Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado last year. He returned this season with Force India.
Wednesday’s announcement had been an open secret in the paddock for weeks.
“We’ve been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive,” Sauber principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. “That was the case in GP2 and has continued into Formula 1.
“An obvious highlight was how he scored pole at Interlagos (Brazil) in 2010 despite the most challenging external conditions. He clearly showed that he can seize the chance if it arises.”
Hulkenberg is currently 12th in the championship with fourth place in the Belgian Grand Prix his season’s best. Kobayashi is one point ahead.
The German described Ferrari-powered Sauber as a team where young drivers had repeatedly been able to deliver exceptional performances.
Drivers who have used Sauber as a stepping stone to bigger teams include Kimi Raikkonen, who went on to McLaren and then became 2007 champion at Ferrari, and current Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.
“I would like to take up that baton,” said Hulkenberg. “The Sauber F1 Team is currently going through a very positive development and I’m certain that together we can achieve a lot.”
The move opens up a slot at Force India, with co-owner Vijay Mallya suggesting at the weekend that Hulkenberg’s compatriot Adrian Sutil, his predecessor at the team, could be in the frame for a return.
Force India’s other driver is Britain’s Paul Di Resta.
“We would like to thank Nico for all his hard work and wish him well. It has been a pleasure to have him in the team,” Mallya said on Twitter.
Meanwhile both Hulkenberg and di Resta have expressed confidence about the team’s chances in Abu Dhabi.
“I think Abu Dhabi should suit us a bit more than India. It’s a twisty circuit with more low-speed corners and it’s a bit more like Singapore, where we looked quite competitive,” Hulkenberg said.
Di Resta is hopeful that the issues he had with his car during the Indian Grand Prix will be sorted out.
“The whole team has been working hard to try and understand the issues we had in India. We’ve seen some things in the data so hopefully we can get on top of them and back up to speed right from the start of practice on Friday,” he said.
Force India had both of its cars in the points bracket in the 2011 season at the Yas Marina circuit. (Agencies)