Formula 1: Renault explain why Hulkenberg turned down Haas

Nico Hulkenberg

Renault explain why Hulkenberg turned down Haas

Cyril Abiteboul speaks for his soon-to-be former driver.

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 8 October 2019 12:00

Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul believes Nico Hulkenberg did not join Haas for 2020 because the American outfit simply could not match the ambition of the German driver.

A few weeks ago, Renault made the decision to replace Hulkenberg with Esteban Ocon, leaving him without a seat for next season unless a deal could be struck with another team. Haas were one of the teams mentioned as a potential destination, but they ended up renewing the contract of Romain Grosjean.

It is unclear how advanced the talks were between Hulkenberg and Haas, but Abiteboul doubts it would have been a good match anyway.

“You have to look at what stage Nico’s career is at,” the Renault boss told Championat.

“He’s also not the kind of the person who is willing to be in Formula 1 just to be in Formula 1.

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“For him, Formula 1 is an ambition, a journey, not just a place to be. For him, the goals to be achieved are important, like the goals we have in our team.

“Nico is professional and experienced enough to understand that he is unlikely to be able to achieve those goals at Haas.

“I do not want to show any disrespect to Haas, but it is clear that he would not have achieved his desired results there.

“I think Nico can be an example. He is not someone who lacks ambition.”

With Haas no longer an option, Hulkenberg is quickly running out of available seats for next season. Red Bull have confirmed they will choose between Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Daniil Kvyat to partner Max Verstappen.

One destination could be Alfa Romeo, who currently have Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi in their ranks but could look to freshen up their line-up after a below-average 2019 so far, while Williams are also an option.