Hulkenberg no better for Haas than Grosjean, says Villeneuve

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Haas' decision to stick with Romain Grosjean over singing Nico Hulkenberg.

Haas had been expected to draft in Hulkenberg following his release from Renault, but will instead give Grosjean a fifth year in the team, despite a run of errors and struggles to score consistently in 2019.

Villeneuve, however, sees little to choose from between Grosjean and Hulkenberg and says Haas should only replace the Frenchman if a race-winning driver becomes available, or someone with the potential to become one.

"These are the two drivers with the most races without victory. Hulkenberg didn't even make it to the podium once," Villeneuve is quoted by motorsport-total.com.

"Why would you change anything at Haas? If you want to trade in Grosjean, it must be either for a young talent or for an older driver who has already won a victory, such as Ricciardo."

Hulkenberg's only realistic options to remain on the grid are at Alfa Romeo and Williams, but the German says he will not let desperation cloud any potential decision.

"As much as I want to continue in Formula 1, for me, it needs to make sense," he said ahead of the Singapore GP.

"It needs to be sensible, it needs to be the right deal. I'm not desperate to stay in Formula 1 and just take anything.

"Right now, I don't know. I think it's to an extent out of my control now, out of my hands. The most important is to drive and to perform.

"I think we just need time. I think there are possibilities and a realistic chance. But in this game, you can never be too sure."

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 News Today: FIA announce Lewis Hamilton punishment verdict as major changes revealed at Japanese Grand Prix

• 29 minutes ago

Channel 4 F1 highlights today: How to watch the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix FREE

• 1 hour ago

FIA announce Lewis Hamilton punishment verdict after Max Verstappen incident at Japanese Grand Prix

• 2 hours ago

F1 2026 Japanese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest from Suzuka

• 3 hours ago

FIA confirm Red Bull F1 changes as Max Verstappen frustration boils over at Japanese Grand Prix

• 3 hours ago

F1 Results Today: Japanese Grand Prix practice times and positions

• Today 08:05