Nico Hulkenberg: "It would have been nice to be ahead of Carlos Sainz"

Nico Hulkenberg starts tomorrows Russian Grand Prix in 6th place after a solid performance in qualifying. The Renault driver qualified in 7th but gains a place due to Max Verstappen's five-place grid penalty.  

“I’m pleased with that today; my laps were clean and tidy, we progressed through the sessions well and deservedly qualified well inside the top ten," Hulkenberg said after qualifying. "I’ve felt comfortable in the car since the beginning of the weekend and I’ve been driving well.

"It would have been nice to be ahead of Carlos [Sainz]. It was tight in the midfield again, but we’ll take it and fight tomorrow for some strong points. It was a decent day’s work.”

Hulkenberg is still to confirm his plans for next season and will hope to impress for the remainder of the season and secure an F1 seat for 2020.