He replaces Haas with Sauber, but the offer from Red Bull never came. This is what Nico Hülkenberg says ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
In his book 'Alt or nothing', Kevin Magnussen says that if very little had gone differently, he would have become a Ferrari driver.
Whether Nico Hulkenberg has ever received an offer from Maranello is not known. But now the German himself says that at least another big team has not thrown a contract offer at him.
However, the German takes that part of working life's missed opportunities with serenity and a twinkle in his eye, writes Auto Motor und Sport .
– Unfortunately, I had no offer from Red Bull. It is always a question of alternatives, says Hulkenberg.
READ ALSO: Was Denmark's most popular car – now sales are plummeting
But there is no doubt that much in 2024 looks different for the 36-year-old Nicolas "Nico" Hülkenberg.
When he was looking for a permanent seat in 2019, Andreas Seidl, then McLaren's team principal, wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, the mandrel was slammed in immediately, says Hulkenberg.
5 years later, Andreas Seidl works for Sauber, which in turn is controlled by Audi. And here it is no secret that there must be a German in at least one of the cars.
Nico Hulkenberg also admits that Haas already prevented him from changing teams last year. But the interest from Audi/Sauber has not abated, and from next season the partners are getting serious about the plans.
What this means for Danish Kevin Magnussen is yet to be seen. In any case, the 31-year-old racing choir will not publicly say whether he and Haas have papers on each other for longer than immediately after this season.