Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg has played down his reported deliberations over a full-time future at Le Mans, at the expense of his Formula 1 career.
Between Bahrain and Barcelona, the German made his world endurance sports car debut driving Porsche’s prototype at Spa, ahead of his high-profile Le Mans bow next month.
Reports after Spa suggested Hulkenberg is now considering a permanent switch to the increasingly popular world of sports cars, particularly as his F1 career has stalled for now.
Earlier, the struggling Force India team said it was targeting an Austrian grand prix debut for its much-needed ‘B car’, but now it emerges that the wait will go on until Silverstone two weeks later.
“That [the news about Austria] was probably a communication error,” Hulkenberg, towing the line that Silverstone was always the intended debut date, is quoted by DPA news agency.
Indeed, technical boss Andy Green says Silverstone is the only race that makes sense for the ‘B’ debut, given that the car can be tested for two days after Austria at the Red Bull Ring.
“To race the car there (in Austria) without any preparation would make no sense,” he told Auto Motor und Sport, “as there is so much on it that is new.”
Until then, Hulkenberg admits, Force India will struggle.
“In Barcelona you need downforce,” he said, “and that is what we lack. The hard tyres are also not good for us, and unlike the other teams we have not improved the car.”
Many are therefore wondering if it would not make more sense for Hulkenberg to follow Mark Webber’s lead and switch permanently to Porsche.
Given his recent experience at Spa, Hulkenberg was asked whether he likes F1 or prototype racing better now.
“That’s like comparing apples and oranges,” he told Speed Week. “I’m not one of these great critics of Formula 1. For me, it’s two different things.”
“Both are racing, they’re both on a track, but they cannot be compared,” Hulkenberg, 27, insisted.
Audi appears to have taken a step closer to Formula 1, or at least they are looking at the option.
Mere days ago, constant rumours that the Volkswagen brand is considering a grand prix foray were given a boost by former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
“A mutual friend told me that (Red Bull owner Dietrich) Mateschitz is thinking of selling and is trying to convince Audi to come in,” said the Italian.
Auto Express went straight to Audi chairman Rupert Stadler (above) to ask him for a “yes or no” answer about the pressing F1 question.
“I can’t answer that,” he said, but when pressed harder, Stadler admitted: “It’s something we’re looking at, but then we’re always looking at it and many other things.”
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Spanish Grand Prix practice on Friday while Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg fell foul of the stewards with his first reprimand of the season and ended the day over three quarters of a second down on the reinging world champion.
While Rosberg set the fastest lap of the day in the morning session, with a lap of one minute 26.828 seconds, Hamilton was comfortably quicker in the afternoon sunshine at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Briton’s time of 1:26.852 compared to Rosberg’s 1:27.616, although the German had gearchange problems, as the sport fired up for its first European weekend of the season.
Rosberg was summoned to the stewards, including former world champion Alan Jones, after first practice for a pitlane infringement.
Force India’s Mexican Sergio Perez was then fined 1,000 euros ($1,123.80) for speeding in the pit lane during the second practice.
Hamilton, last year’s winner in Spain, has won three of four races this season and started all on pole. He leads Rosberg by 27 points.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third and second fastest in the sessions, but still some way off the Mercedes pace, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen fourth in both.
Toro Rosso’s rookie pairing of Carlos Sainz, making his home debut, and Max Verstappen were in the top 10 in both sessions but Red Bull had a difficult day.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined for much of the two sessions while the team worked on his car’s engine.
Ricciardo, who is already on his fourth engine for the season out of an allocation of four, ended up ninth and 13th.
Frenchman Romain Grosjean brought out red flags when the engine cover of his Lotus blew off and shattered into pieces on the pit straight.
After a typically low key morning, Williams continued their steady work with Valtteri Bottas in eighth place and Felipe Massa tenth. Ninth place went to the second Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz.
After extensive repairs, Grosjean managed to return to the fray in the final 20 minutes of the session, on medium tyres, and his performance run jumped him to P12 ahead of Ricciardo.
Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado was 14th ahead of the Saubers of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson. Then came Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, though Hulkenberg was told later in the session that the team’s pace on the hard tyre was better than Sauber’s.
The field was backed up by the Manor cars of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi.Spanish Grand Prix, Free Practice 2 – Friday, 8 May 2015
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:26.852s | | 26 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:27.260s | +0.408s | 37 |
| 3 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:27.616s | +0.764s | 35 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:27.780s | +0.928s | 36 |
| 5 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | 1:27.943s | +1.091s | 25 |
| 6 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 1:28.017s | +1.165s | 32 |
| 7 | 22 | Jenson Button | Mclaren | 1:28.494s | +1.642s | 31 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:28.525s | +1.673s | 39 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:28.674s | +1.822s | 31 |
| 10 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:28.712s | +1.86s | 36 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Mclaren | 1:28.723s | +1.871s | 28 |
| 12 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 1:29.086s | +2.234s | 14 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:29.098s | +2.246s | 4 |
| 14 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus | 1:29.217s | +2.365s | 34 |
| 15 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:29.333s | +2.481s | 37 |
| 16 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:29.361s | +2.509s | 34 |
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:29.601s | +2.749s | 38 |
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1:29.707s | +2.855s | 35 |
| 19 | 28 | Will Stevens | Marussia | 1:31.929s | +5.077s | 30 |
| 20 | 98 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia | 1:32.751s | +5.899s | 23 |
