Hulkenberg will carry F1 German GP "pain" for "little while longer"

Hulkenberg had looked set for his first F1 podium finish at Hockenheim in his 167th grand prix, running as high as second during the German GP.

But Hulkenberg was caught out at the Turn 16 left-hander when he ran across the drag strip run-off area and hit the barriers, forcing him into retirement when he had been running fourth.

Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr also suffered similar incidents at the same corner.

Asked how long it had taken him to get over the German GP result, Hulkenberg said: "I think it will take a little while longer still.

"This weekend, once you are in the car and once you have to work, your mind is off it. But that sting is deep from Hockenheim.

"We rock and rolled for 40 laps. I think I drove a pretty amazing race up until that point and, as a team, we did a great job.

"Mainly we made all the right calls in terms of strategy and tyre choice. Hence we were in the position we were in, which was quite good and unusual for us. Then we obviously saw what happened."

Hulkenberg says he visited F1 race director Michael Masi on Thursday morning in Hungary to voice his displeasure at the Turn 16/17 run-off area in Germany.

The Renault driver believes he changed Masi's views on the drag strip run-off. "I think if we were to go back, things would be different. It doesn't help now," said Hulkenberg.

"I think his [Masi's] opinion is different now. It is clear if you look at the TV footage, what other proof do you need? Just look at the images. We were just passengers there. We couldn't do anything."

Explaining his concerns about the run-off area further, Hulkenberg said: "Conditions were very difficult and challenging out there, and everyone lost their car and was next to the track [limits] at some point. I just chose the wrong corner.

"But I feel that the run-off area was not the normal Tarmac. I don't know what it was. If it was painted, if it was just aquaplaning, but it was zero grip.

"And once you put a wheel on there you are history - especially the way I went off, it was in just a straightline. I tried everything in the one second I had, but it was game over there.

"I feel it was out of proportion for the size of the mistake, if you want to call it [that], and the price and consequences we had to pay.

"It was way out of proportion and in a way I feel that the race got taken away from us and what could have been a very good result."