F1 | Hulkenberg: “We can't say we can fight for the podium yet”

The German driver has not yet achieved a podium since he debuted in Formula 1 and fears that this "record" could continue this season too.

“I want to break this spell as soon as possible”, commented Nico Hulkenberg to the SID press agency.

Furthermore, the 31-year-old admitted that he had practically given up on his dream of being able to compete for Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari:

“I'm trying to build a top team on my own -smiled- and I hope to succeed in the next two years", referring to his team, Renault, with which he has competed since 2017.

“We have already made good progress, there have been many investments, but now we want to slowly reap the benefits.”

Although, this year it will be unlikely to see the French team on the podium:

“We can't say with full confidence that we will be on the podium this year.”

Hulkenberg has a new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, who inevitably earns much more than him. According to Hulkenberg, however, the signing is a clear sign of the team's desire to achieve success, despite the large sum of money:

“Having Daniel means that the team takes responsibility for building an excellent car for him, this is the right step”.

However, Ricciardo's arrival suggests that Hulkenberg is now essentially driver number two:

 “It will be interesting to compete with him, I have never had a duel like this in my career and, in a certain sense, it will decide my future”.