Hulkenberg considered returning to F1 after Silverstone: 'Rejected for a reason'

Nico Hülkenberg was twice the hero for Racing Point last season. At Silverstone and at the Nürburgring the German had to stand in for one of the drivers, both because of the coronavirus. In the end, Hulkenberg had three appearances and two races, both of which he completed successfully.

In Silverstone, problems forced him to watch the first race from the pit box, but in the second race he drove to a phenomenal third place on the grid, eventually scoring good points. At the Nurburgring he repeated the points success, putting himself on the map as an F1 driver.

"It actually felt like a new chapter in my life. In the end, 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and personally I am quite happy with how I have handled it. It was definitely a challenge to suddenly live a lot slower, after a huge number of years in the F1 paddock," Hulkenberg explained in conversation with GQ Magazine.

A return to the F1 grid in 2021 seemed possible, yet Hulkenberg chose to watch from the sidelines. "The right offer just didn't come. There have been talks, but it never came to an agreement. I also said to myself, 'You shouldn't keep going at all costs, otherwise leave it for a while, knowing that you run the risk of never coming back.

"I've had a good ten years and I'm not the type to just keep going continuously. Certainly not to return and drive in the last places on the grid. So I said no for a reason," the German concluded.