Mercedes boss Toto Wolff teases Nico Hulkenberg announcement

F1: Lewis Hamilton extends Mercedes contract

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has not ruled out making a move for Nico Hulkenberg in any capacity. The 33-year-old is without a seat for the 2021 season after he was let go by Racing Point, who have rebranded to Aston Martin.

Hulkenberg finished 15th in the standings last season, scoring just 10 points.

That led to team owner Lawrence Stroll ditching the German for his fellow countryman and four-time world champion Vettel, who left Ferrari.

Hulkenberg was unfortunate to not have a drive this year and Mercedes have already named their Formula E driver Nyck de Vries as their F1 back-up for the upcoming season.

However, there is a chance that could change following Wolff’s comments yesterday.

“The question is not when the decision will be made, but when it will be announced,” Wolff told Sky Deutschland when asked if Hulkenberg could join the team.

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“I don’t want to create any interesting news for Nico.

“We all know what he can do and that he is one of the top drivers who somehow didn’t get a chance to drive at a top team, because I think he could definitely do it.

“Having such a resource in the team is of course interesting. Of course we are not averse to that either.”

Another possibility that Wolff could be alluding too is offering Hulkenberg a senior seat for the 2022 season.

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Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are both out of contract at the end of the year and the Silver Arrows are assessing all of their options.

If both drivers are allowed to leave then it will massively shake up the F1 grid.

Williams star George Russell is thought to be at the front of the queue but he would need a handy wingman to hustle at the front of the grid.

Selecting another youngster to drive alongside Russell would be a risky move so Hulkenberg would bring the experience.

Meanwhile, Wolff has also revealed that Red Bull ace Max Verstappen is being monitored.

“Max is certainly an outstanding young driver that will be on everybody’s radar in the future,” the Austrian said.

“But we are not flirting outside before we have a clear understanding with our two drivers.”

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