The Hulk is back!
Pic: motorsport.com
Written by Sophie Smith
After testing positive for Covid-19, Sergio Perez will not race in the British Grand Prix. With little notice, Racing Point had just less than 24 hours to find a driver to fill the gap left by Sergio, who is now self-isolating. After much speculation of Esteban Gutierrez or Stoffel Vandoorne, the reserve drivers that racing point share with Mercedes, to fill the space, those who were hoping for the return of the Hulk (us) were blessed. The German driver made his way into the Silverstone Circuit on the Friday morning just hours before Practice 1 after testing negative for Covid-19. This return to F1 could be important in Nico Hulkenberg’s career as he is in a car that could put him in the contention of his first podium in F1. Here is why we could finally witness Hulkenberg on a podium.
Why was Hulkenberg picked? The German driver was the most suitable option in this situation. Stoffel Vandoorne being needed for Formula E ruled him out immediately and Gutierrez, while he has done thousands of miles in the simulator for Mercedes, has not raced in a car since the 2016 Abu Dhabi Gran Prix leaving him with little on-track experience in the past few years. With only 243 days since the hulk was last in a race car (statistic according to Friday) and 3 years since he was last in a Force India (now Racing Point) he was the number one choice for the team in pink.
Pic: motorsport.com
Why is this the Hulks best chance at a maiden podium? It is a blessing for Hulkenberg and F1 fans to see the Hulk back in f1 even for a short stint. It could be even more of a blessing for Nico as he finds himself in the most competitive car he has ever had! The combination of the brilliant pace that racing point has been showing and the fast skills of the German driver it is not too difficult to see the possibility of a podium for the Hulk.
It’s been revealed that Nico has been none stop since arriving at the Silverstone paddock. With a seat fit taking place at 2am on the Thursday and back up at 7am on the simulator, the only thing we think could damage the Hulks chances at a podium is burning himself out! The Hulk spent his time waiting for the results of his Covid-19 test filling out paperwork and spending 45 minuets to learn the workings of the RP20 steering wheel. Within minutes of finding out that his result was negative the German driver was racing through the paddock to the garage in a pair of overalls borrowed from his teammate for the weekend, Lance Stroll.
Pic: .express.co.uk
We may see the Hulk back in the paddock next weekend as the rules set in place for F1 is that Perez must, understandably, test negative for covid-19 before he can even think of entering the paddock. This helps give Nico even more of a chance to gain that maiden podium, as he has more time to get used to that feeling of being back in a Formula One car, ready for next weekend.
It’s great to see Hulkenberg back on the track and we hope this and next weekend can help prove that F1 is where the Hulk should be!!
See you next Send It Saturday!
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