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In an interview with crash.net today, Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg heads to the 2014 United States Grand Prix seeking a confidence-boosting return to the points after the confirmation that he will remain with the Sahara Force India team for the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship season.
Hulkenberg has a very good finishing record at the US GP. With Hulkenberg having finished eighth and sixth around the Texan circuit in 2012 and 2013 respectively, his expectations are similarly lofty for this year.
With Force India slipping 20 points behind rivals McLaren-Mercedes in the fight for fifth place in the constructors’ reckoning, Hulkenberg is eager to help the team recover ground again. In his interview with crash.net today, Hulkenberg said the following about his chances this weekend:-
‘I’ve had good results in Austin [P8 in 2012 and P6 in 2013] so I am feeling upbeat about this weekend. It’s clear that some teams ahead of us have made a step forward recently, but we know that we can race well. I think it’s realistic to target points again this weekend and try to close the gap to fifth place.’
As Hulkenberg rightly points out, he has achieved great results in the US GP and that will provide him with motivation this weekend to do the same again. Hulkenberg however is realistic that with teams such as McLaren having improved their performance in the past few races, it will be a challenge to achieve a good result this weekend but has his sights firmly on trying to achieve the best possible points finish that he can this weekend in Austin to close the gap to McLaren for fifth in the Constructors Championship.
Further on in his interview today, Hulkenberg feels that the Austin track is one of the best new circuits that have appeared on the calendar and that he enjoys coming to the track each year. Hulkenberg added the following:-
‘I remember that as soon as I drove in Austin my first thought was that it was an amazing circuit. It’s fun to drive, with lots of different kinds of corners, and it’s one of the best tracks from the new generation of circuits.
‘It’s very easy to find a rhythm and the tarmac is very smooth, which makes it very nice to drive. Away from the track, Austin is a venue everybody enjoys visiting. It’s not the biggest city, but there is a good atmosphere and they love Formula One.’
It is clear that Hulkenberg enjoys coming to Austin each year and enjoys the challenges that the track presents him with during the weekend. Also, for Hulkenberg to say that he enjoys the atmosphere that the circuit provides him with while driving is also a big boost as he looks to get back into the points this weekend.
As I have already mentioned earlier in this article, Hulkenberg has achieved some great results in the past two years in Austin and it is clear that if he has the car underneath him, he will deliver and will deliver as well as he can. It would be nice to see Hulkenberg rewarded with a return to the points this weekend after a unlucky few races and to show why he was retained by Force India for 2015 for the talented driver that he really is.
