Hülkenberg last drove full-time in F1 in 2019, but competed three times with Racing Point last season, standing in for Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll after they were banned from COVID-19.
The German driver was unable to land a drive for this season, but has teamed up with Aston Martin as the official replacement for 2021 and supports Stroll and Sebastian Vettel.
After Hulkenberg had previously told Bild am Sonntag: “If it doesn’t work out now, the Formula 1 chapter is closed for me”, Hulkenberg now admits that his chances of returning next year are over and thus seems to be the end of his Formula 1 racing career.
Hülkenberg’s name had been linked to driving at Williams and Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season, with both teams having two vacancies a few weeks ago.
But Williams announced earlier this week that Alexander Albon would join Nicholas Latifi for next year, putting an end to any chance of Hulkenberg returning to the team he made his Formula 1 debut for in 2010.
Alfa Romeo is considering a number of drivers, including F2 driver Guanyu Zhou and incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi, as teammates for Valtteri Bottas, who will be arriving from Mercedes.
Nico Hulkenberg, Racing Point RP20
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Speaking to Bild, Hulkenberg confirmed that he is not in negotiations with Alfa Romeo for the next year, putting an end to his hopes for an F1 return next year.
“There are no talks with Alfa Romeo,” said Hulkenberg.
“That would have been the last option for a permanent seat in 2022 after all other cockpits have been taken.”
But Hulkenberg said he took the situation calmly and “life goes on”. He also announced that he has received “exciting inquiries from other series” about a future drive.
“I’m in no hurry to make a decision,” said Hulkenberg, adding that he wanted to “sort everything out” and “see how things develop”.
IndyCar team owner Ed Carpenter announced in July that Hulkenberg had shown interest in a possible test but said he “wouldn’t put much substance on it” in terms of a full-time drive.
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