Mclaren Reveal Nico Hulkenberg Rejected Offer for 2020 Drive

Published 09/20/2019, 8:20 AM EDT

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Nico Hulkenberg is desperate to remain in Formula One, though he is being very picky. After being ousted from Renault, the German driver was considering his options, potentially with Haas. Sadly for him, that avenue shut down when the American team elected to retain Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.

Now, it has transpired that Hulkenberg was approached by McLaren to race for them in IndyCar. The news was revealed by McLaren CEO Zak Brown, while speaking to reporters in Singapore.

While talking about the Indy snub, Nico Hulkenberg told Luke Smith, “Generally ovals for me is not something that attracts me or that strikes me. I have a lot of respect for that, but it is just not my thing. So I would count that out.”

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Hulkenberg is no stranger to racing outside Formula One, having raced in the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, and winning. He also sat out of the 2011 season as a test driver for the erstwhile Force India team.

Now, the burning question is, where will Nico Hulkenberg go? One option is a return to Williams, who gave him his debut in 2010, especially now that Robert Kubica will be leaving them in 2020. However, given that they are lightyears away from the pack, he would simply be wasting his time.

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Another option is Alfa Romeo, if the team elect to drop Antonio Giovinazzi for next season. A team will Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Hulkenberg, the latter of whom, is known for consistency, will work wonders for a constructors championship.

In all honesty, if he is serious about staying in Formula One, those two teams are the only viable options. Or else, in the worst case scenario, he could sit out for another year and wait for a better option, or explore other racing series. A little birdy says that the likes of Formula E is becoming a hotbed for former F1 drivers.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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