Alfa Romeo, Haas confirm Hulkenberg talks

After Nico Hulkenberg revealed talks with ‘two teams’ about 2021, the identity of those teams is now clear.

“The short answer is yes,” said the German driver when asked if he has talked with Frederic Vasseur, a friend and former boss from his junior series days and now in charge of the Alfa Romeo team.

In turn, Vasseur also confirmed some talks but said he still needs to consult with the team’s shareholders “and to find out what Kimi (Raikkonen) wants to do”.

However, he also said thinking about drivers is “too early” for Alpha Romeo right now – and that is also the story at Hulkenberg’s other potential 2021 team.

“The driver question is secondary at the moment,” said Gunther Steiner, boss of the Haas team.

“First of all, let’s take care of the Concorde Agreement – we have more important things to do,” he added.

But when asked specifically about Hulkenberg, Steiner responded: “I have talked to him a couple of times and we get along personally.

“We currently are not performing very highly, so you have to also look at it from his (Hulkenberg’s) side – would he believe in it, and would it suit him?” he told Sky Deutschland.

“Because he is a very good driver. At a certain level you don’t want to be in a team that can’t even be in the midfield.”

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks Hulkenberg will sit back for a while before making a move – especially when a big player like Sebastian Vettel is also on the market.

“If Sebastian pulls the plug, then a better cockpit could be in it for Hulkenberg, such as Alpha Tauri or Aston Martin,” he said.