Hulk potpisao za Renault za sljedeće dvije sezone..
The German driver rejoined Force India in 2014, and has been driving for the Silverstone based team ever since; in addition, Hulkenberg has driven for Williams and Sauber in the past.
Despite signing the deal, Force India still need to release Nico Hulkenberg as his present Formula One contract is with the Silverstone based team — however earlier on this season, Force India deputy principal Bob Fernley said he would not block an exit by the German driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.
The German drivers move to Renault would have a huge impact on the driver market; leaving seats in both Renault and Force India open for grabs. This thus guarantees a change in Renault’s driver line-up, and there are several drivers in contention for the second seat including Palmer, Magnussen, Ocon and Bottas.
However, there are implications for Formula One teams with all potential young drivers; Ocon, who is a common target for both Renault and Force India, may have a higher chance of getting signed by Force India – this is the case as Force India is Mercedes’ customer team, rather than an independent works team, as in Renault’s case.
Earlier on in the Formula One season, a source suggested Renault would like to keep one of their two present Formula One drivers; meaning in addition to Hulkenberg’s signing, the Enstone based team would sign either Palmer or Magnussen, increasing the intra-team competition in the next few F1 races.
In addition, Bottas is also in frame for a Renault seat, however the Finn drivers has kept the option of moving to Enstone as ‘Plan B’, if his Williams contract cannot be extended.
