Renault F1 team reminds Hulkenberg of Porsche LMP1 stint

The German driver joined Renault after contesting the last three seasons with Force India, and he has also driven for Williams and Sauber in F1.

Hulkenberg dovetailed his 2015 campaign with a Porsche LMP1 drive at Spa and Le Mans, winning the famous French enduro on his debut alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.

Asked by Autosport how different he found it being in a works F1 team after several seasons with independent outfits, Hulkenberg replied: "Quite different, I have to say.

"It reminds me quite a bit of my year with Porsche in LMP.

"Being with a manufacturer is just a different game, you feel the power, the support, the resources they have.

"You see the factory is two or three times the size, the amount of people, what they are building and constructing there.

"The commitment is definitely there, you see they are taking seriously.

"This is the reason I came, and what I expect to see from them - that they push on."

Hulkenberg has ruled out an immediate return to Le Mans but said he would be "open to go back" after a few years.

The 29-year-old said the short-term aim was to help Renault "build the foundation that will then allow us to go for bigger aims and goals".

"This opportunity came at the perfect moment for me," he added.

"To be with a manufacturer, one that has a great history in Formula 1 and has been so successful in previous year and wants to go back there.

"Obviously we're not back there yet and there's still a long way to go but I think it's great for me to face that challenge with the team, that we work on it together to bring Renault back to the top."

Renault finished ninth in the constructors' championship in 2016, its first season after a late purchase of the Lotus outfit, but it is targeting fifth this year.

Hulkenberg missed out on a Q3 berth in the Australian Grand Prix by 0.094 seconds, and finished 11th in the season opener, just missing out on a point to his Force India replacement, Esteban Ocon.

Of the teams in the midfield fight behind top three and Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India both scored points with two cars, while Haas's Romain Grosjean qualified sixth but retired early.

"We're not ahead of Force India," Hulkenberg said.

"I think it seems they still have the nose ahead. Toro Rosso as well, I [didn't see] a Haas anywhere [in the race].

"I think we're probably at the back of that bunch but in contention, with good work to do and more running."