Nico Hülkenberg testing in Indycar with Arrow McLaren
Last month, Hülkenberg announced that the chapter of Formula 1 was definitely closed for him, his chances of returning to this sport seeming to have disappeared, he is now motivated to start a new story, but this time in IndyCar.
It was in 2019 that the German driver, who raced for Renault, found himself without a seat, as his contract was not renewed. While in 2020, he was assigned the role of substitute driver at Racing Point to replace the two regular drivers who tested positive for Covid-19, it was in 2021 that the German was appointed as a reserve driver at Aston Martin F1. He could indeed take over the wheel of a Formula 1 car if Lance Stroll or his compatriot, Sebastian Vettel, were unable to race in one of the remaining races. However, the chances of this happening are slim, so Hülkenberg seems to want to focus on other categories.
A new chapter in IndyCar
Similarly to the French Romain Grosjean, who now has a seat for 2022 within the Andretti Autosport team, Nico Hülkenberg seems to be considering a possible transfer to the IndyCar category. McLaren CEO Zak Brown also appears to believe that this is the best option for the driver, as on Monday, October 25, Arrow McLaren Racing SP offered a test session to the German driver.
The former Renault driver, who had last raced in a single-seater car at the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, therefore went to Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park to take control of an IndyCar.
The German driver was thus able to make his first laps this Monday, allowing the Arrow McLaren Racing SP team to assess the driver’s abilities. “Nico wants to see what IndyCar is and we are curious to see how Nico will do,” Zak Brown declared on Motorsport.com.
A physical beginning
Hülkenberg was able to complete 108 laps of the 2.38-mile circuit, totaling nearly 413.64 km, with a best lap of 1m07.455s on his 59th lap. He was therefore about one second off the day’s best time set by future Indy Lights graduate David Malukas. However, the driver admitted that it took him some time to get used to the car. “I need to get back into shape!” he said. “I can confirm that these cars are beasts to handle. The resistance on the steering is quite impressive, it’s very heavy.”
However, the driver seems to have enjoyed driving the car « It had been a year since I last got into a race car, it was quite enjoyable », he added « It’s obviously very different from a Formula 1 car, the experience, the sound, the seating position, everything is different. So I had to get used to it, but I think it was a good and fruitful day from my point of view, and I am happy to have had this opportunity today. It was a lot of fun. »
A shared pleasure
The driver does not seem to have been the only one delighted with this session. Taylor Kiel, the president of Arrow McLaren Racing SP, stated that his adaptation to the wheel of an IndyCar was impressive.
« On one hand, it was a difficult thing to complete 108 laps today like Nico did », Kiel told Motorsport.com. « But it’s a challenge he accepted and he did a very good job. We went through our program step by step and it was a pleasure to work with him. »
« On the other hand, the physical nature of the car was probably a bit surprising to him at first and he will probably have some aches and pains at the end of the day. The temperatures changed a lot during the day, so he may have experienced different track conditions. »
« Nico was able to drive with new cold tires, worn tires, laps in qualifying mode, long stints, with lots or little fuel…. We explored every aspect, so it was about him understanding how these cars are driven, us understanding each other as a team, and the overall atmosphere. And it gave us a chance to understand Nico as a driver. »
Taylor Kiel added, ‘It’s funny when you have a guy like Nico in one of your race cars – he has run at the international level at a very high level for a very long time – and you still have to explain to him the basics of how we come into the pit, how to drive this car, the buttons and switches, etc. But with someone like him, you only need to explain it once and he memorizes it and gets on with it, which is what you expect from a driver of his caliber.’
« I wasn’t even looking at lap times because everyone has their own program and it is impossible to make direct comparisons. I was focusing on his interaction with the team, the feedback he was giving, his reactions to some of the changes we were making to the car. All of this was of a very high level, as you would expect.
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