On his final start for the Renault, Nico Hülkenberg finished outside of the points in twelfth, but with no drive for 2020 could this be the last time we see the German?
Abu Dhabi saw Nico Hulkenberg sign off from F1 in his last race for Renault, despite performing solidly against his teammate Daniel Ricciardo this season, Renault signed Esteban Ocon for his drive next season and surprisingly the 32-year old German has received no offers for 2020 although there are vacant cockpits are at Alfa Romeo, Williams and Red Bull.
Given a guard of honour as he walked to the garage, Hulkenberg reflected on his race: “We threw everything at it today and it was a shame not to score any points.”
Team Principle Cyril Abiteboul “Today was on the one hand a race like 20 others in the season, but on the other a race where we had the imperative objective to secure a championship position and we did it. It is clear that Nico has been instrumental in our progress through F1. We needed a driver who had the experience and maturity to help us take the next step and we couldn’t have asked any more of him. It wasn’t an easy decision as he has many strong attributes: he’s a great driver, always motivated and looking and pushing for more, which has, in turn, spurred us on. We wish him every luck for the future and sincerely thank him for his huge contribution to Renault F1 Team over the past three years.”
