Hulkenberg to replace Perez again this weekend

Aug.6 (GMM) Racing Point will announce on Thursday that Nico Hulkenberg will race for the team at Silverstone once again this weekend.

Sergio Perez, who sat out last weekend’s race at the same circuit following a positive coronavirus test, was expected to be tested again on Wednesday.

His trainer Xavi Martos had told La Vanguardia newspaper that they are “following an action plan for the next race, if they allow him to race”.

However, the German broadcaster RTL reports that German Hulkenberg will in fact definitely still be in the ‘pink Mercedes’ this weekend.

The 32-year-old has reportedly spent the past three days in Racing Point’s simulator, whilst also working on his lagging physical fitness.

“Racing fitness is not driving fitness,” Hulkenberg insisted. “There is no machine on which you can train for this.

“Especially in the fast corners you can feel how brutal it is on the body, which is why I was limited in how I could go to the limit in Copse or Becketts. I couldn’t keep it as clean as usual.”

Team boss Otmar Szafnauer said he is happy with how Hulkenberg fared.

“He did a great job getting into a car that he had never driven before, and which was totally different from his previous cars on a difficult circuit like Silverstone,” he said.