Nico Hulkenberg not concerned about Formula 1 future

Nico Hulkenberg says he is not worried he will be left without a Formula 1 drive for 2014, despite admitting he still has no deal in place

The German driver has been one of the stars of the second half of the season, but has failed to secure a drive for 2014 after deciding not to take up an option to continue at Sauber.

Hulkenberg is a candidate to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus, but a deal is believed to depend on the team securing its finances.

Hulkenberg said recently he wanted to sort his future swiftly, but admitted time is running out for his self-imposed deadline.

When asked if he was worried he would be left without a drive, he said: "At the moment, no. There are opportunities out there and I'm sleeping OK.

"I wouldn't like to wait until the end of the season, that's for sure. I said in Korea that before the end of the month I would like to do what I'm doing. It's coming close so I have to hurry up.

"I'm under pressure now to do something. These things take time sometimes and you are negotiating and it's how things go."

The German refused to go into detail about his options for 2014, but said he would like to find a team that offers him a long-term deal.

Hulkenberg has driven for three different teams in the last four years, making his F1 debut with Williams in 2010 before switching to Force India - first as reserve, then a race driver - prior to this season's Sauber deal.

"It would be nice to have a bit of consistency but it would really depend on a lot of factors so it's hard to give a definite answer."