Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg was forced to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix, making it the second consecutive race in which the German has failed to reach the chequered flag.
The reigning Le Mans champion was told to pull over after seeing smoke from the right-hand bank of the engine, which soon turned into a fire. The result leaves Hulkenberg without any points since the opening round in Melbourne.
“It’s frustrating not to finish another race. I saw some smoke coming from the back of my car and then it developed into a fire so I had to park quickly at the side of the track. It’s a shame because I missed the chance to fight for points and we also missed out on learning more about the car in race conditions.”
On the topic of his barren spell, the 28-year-old remained optimistic about the races ahead, whilst also staying positive about what the rest of the season may hold for him in light of the changes made to the VJM09.
“Sometimes in racing you have periods when things don’t go your way, but you have to keep the faith and believe that sooner or later your luck will change. There are also some positives to take away from this weekend because we’ve made progress with the car and I think the performance will continue to improve. So we will keep working hard and come back stronger at the next one.”
