Nico Hulkenberg didn't expect his strong start to 2014 F1 season
Nico Hulkenberg is surprised by how competitive his Force India team has been in the early part of the new Formula 1 season
The highly rated German rejoined Vijay Mallya's squad from Sauber over the winter and has finished inside the top six in each of the first four F1 races of 2014.
Hulkenberg lies a career-best fourth in the current championship, after holding off Valtteri Bottas's Williams to finish sixth in the recent Chinese Grand Prix.
He says no one could have expected Force India to make such a strong start to the campaign.
"I didn't expect it and I don't think you could have expected it as well," Hulkenberg said.
"Winter testing was good, but not that good.
"To come away with so many points is a big achievement."
Hulkenberg urged the Silverstone-based squad, which operates on a significantly smaller budget than the leading teams, to do its best to keep up in the development race and avoid slipping back as the season wears on.
"I don't see any obvious reason why we shouldn't be able to carry the good momentum, but like every year in Formula 1 it's pretty much a development race - you've got to keep bringing performance," Hulkenberg added.
"Maybe at the later point in the season the big teams with the bigger budgets will have more of an advantage, but I see ourselves in a very good position."
HOW HULKENBERG'S START TO 2014 COMPARES
Hulkenberg's current tally of 36 points makes 2014 by far his best start to an F1 season to date, as the table below shows:
Situation after four races: Year Team Points Position 2014 Force India 36 4th 2013 Sauber 5 14th 2012 Force India 2 16th 2010 Williams 1 15th 2011: Force India reserve, did not race
Nico Hulkenberg's full career statistics on FORIX
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