
Why Hulkenberg's Red Bull chance is out of his hands
Nico Hulkenberg's Formula 1 outings this year have been a product of exceptional circumstances, but they've opened the door to a possible 2021 Red Bull seat. However, just like his return to racing this year, it's something totally out of his hands
When Nico Hulkenberg walked out of the paddock at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he was surrounded by reflections of a Formula 1 career that had not fully delivered on the opportunities that had come its way.
For all the brilliance he showed on his way to the top, Hulkenberg's time at Williams, Force India, Sauber and Renault had failed to produce the kind of star results he perhaps deserved. Yes, there had been that brilliant pole position for Williams at the end of his rookie campaign in 2010 in Brazil, but a look back over Hulkenberg's career pointed more to the moments that had got away from him.

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
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