Sebastian Vettel has expressed his disappointment at Nico Hulkenberg's bleak future in F1, with the Renault man expected to take at least a year out. Vettel believes his fellow German has enough ability to be on the grid next season, despite being replaced at the French team by Esteban Ocon.
Hulkenberg has been a regular in the midfield since his return to F1 after his first year out in 2011, but has never made the step up to a top team, with Renault feeling that the much younger Ocon can give them a more promising future.
The majority of the F1 community is sad at the omission of Hulkenberg from next year's grid, a feeling Vettel shares.
He said, as quoted by Marca: “It’s a strange situation because I’ve known Nico since we raced each other in childhood. The fact that a driver like him doesn’t have a seat is very bitter.
“It’s an example of the fact that some things are wrong in Formula 1. I hope he comes back because he has the potential to be here and I don’t want to be the only German.”