
After losing his last full-time F1 drive with Renault at the end of the 2019 season, Hulkenberg took part in three events for the Aston team, known as Racing Point last season for regular drivers after races Contract with COVID-19 not possible.
Hulkenberg competed in the two races at Silverstone instead of Sergio Perez after testing positive for COVID on the eve of the British GP weekend – although Hulkenberg did not start the race after a bolt in his car’s clutch was sheared prior to start before he went on to take seventh of a sensational third place on the grid at the subsequent 70th anniversary GP.
He then stood up for Lance Stroll at the Eifel GP after the Canadian felt uncomfortable during training – he was only diagnosed with COVID after he left the event at the Nürburgring.
Hulkenberg finished eighth after only taking part in qualifying and the race (only the only 60-minute FP3 session that was held as practice this weekend after bad weather washed out the run on Friday).
“First and foremost, it’s great to get this contract signed on time. Last year I didn’t have that much time to prepare before jumping in the car,” said Hulkenberg, who took on the roster of his armed forces India Shape in 2012 and between 2014- 2016.
“I am very excited to be working again with this team that I have raced with many times in my career.
“Of course I hope that Sebastian [Vettel, who has replaced Perez for 2021 at the rebranded Aston squad] and Lance are enjoying an uninterrupted season this year, but the team knows they can count on me to step in and do a great job and I am fully prepared to take on the challenge.
“It will also be interesting to develop the team further during the season and I’m really looking forward to getting great lap times out of my arms.”
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Otston Szafnauer, Team Principal and CEO of Aston added: “We are delighted to welcome Nico back in an official role as the reserve and development driver for the team [the] Aston Martin Formula 1 team.
“In these difficult times, the requirement for a capable and experienced reserve driver is particularly important.
“Last year Nico proved that he can jump into the car in a very short time and perform excellently. Now that we have additional leeway for preparation and integration, we know we can count on Nico to do a great job. “
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