Hulkenberg thinks shyness hurt F1 career

Mar.2 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg thinks shyness could be one reason why his Formula 1 career seems over at the age of 32.

After a decade in the sport, the German lost his Renault race seat at the end of last season and he says he is not sure if he will be able to return.

And so he is left to rue some near-misses, including almost landing a Ferrari seat around 2013.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out,” Hulkenberg told t-online.

“You have to be in the right place with the right people at the right time. Everything just has to fit together,” he said.

But Hulkenberg admits he also deserves some of the blame for his stalled career.

“It would have helped if I had been more open and communicative,” he said.

“I was a little too closed, almost shy. Maybe that came across as arrogance, but it was not that.”

As an example, he says other drivers put more effort into networking, including meeting with team bosses socially away from the circuit and looking for a political edge.

“I was just too reserved and I didn’t realise the importance of this aspect,” he said.

“I could have done more in that direction in the past and it certainly would not have hurt my career. But I was a young driver who focused entirely on his own performance.

“If something came up I just said ‘I don’t care, leave me alone, I have to race’.”