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Force India Surprised By Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault Move

By Brittany Frederick

Oct 25, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg (27) of Germany races during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg (27) of Germany races during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nico Hulkenberg’s move to the Renault Formula One team caught his former squad Force India off guard, and the team is now considering its next moves.

When Nico Hulkenberg announced that he will be driving for Renault’s Formula One squad in 2017, that came as news to his current employers at Force India.

Force India released the German driver from his contract on Friday despite holding an option on him for next season, yet team executives told Autosport that they didn’t have a Nico Hulkenberg to Renault move “on the radar.”

“The Renault approach to Nico came as a bit of a surprise to say the least,” added team principal Bob Fernley, who also conceded it wouldn’t have been wise for Force India “to keep somebody with you who doesn’t want to be with you.”

Hulkenberg made public on Friday that he had signed a multi-year deal to join the Renault F1 roster, saying it had always been his dream to work for a manufacturer team.

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The 29-year-old departs Force India after five years with the outfit, though he will finish out the 2016 season there as the organization battles for fourth place in the Formula One constructors’ championship.

His best race result is fourth (three times) and his best drivers’ championship result stands at ninth, achieved in 2014.

After being thrown for a loop by the German handing in his walking papers, Force India have now declared that they’re not going to rush to fill his seat.

“There’s no need for us to make a quick decision, and nor would we at this point,” Fernley said on Monday. “At the end of the day it’s Vijay [Mallya]’s decision, so the process will start once we get back from Mexico. The second-seat process can wait.”

Nico Hulkenberg is certainly not the first driver in professional motorsports to be abrupt with a career move, but Force India have the right response in not letting their surprise turn to panic and force them into hunting for an immediate successor.

Formula One has plenty of candidates who still don’t have landing spots for the 2017 season so it’s better to find the right driver – hopefully one that they can contract for a number of years and avoid a quick repeat of this situation – than sign one and regret it.

But given that the team chose to formally release Hulkenberg from his contract when they didn’t have to, it seems strange that they didn’t give much thought to the idea that he could leave.

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In some ways, you could compare the Nico Hulkenberg to Renault deal to the situation within IndyCar with Josef Newgarden and Team Penske. Newgarden never hid the fact that he ultimately wanted to drive for a Big Three team, much like Hulkenberg always had his eye on working for a manufacturer squad, and when the opportunity presented itself both drivers took it.

The bigger question now is whether Force India will just be replacing him – or could his teammate Sergio Perez soon be moving on as well? Whether filling one seat or two, the team shouldn’t make rash decisions.

What do you think of Nico Hulkenberg’s move to Renault for the 2017 Formula One season?

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