Tires will be the key for Hülkenberg in 2012

Nico Hülkenberg will make his return to F1 with Sahara Force India in 2012 after spending a season as a test and reserve driver for the Indian team. The German driver was not retained by the Williams team after his debut in 2010 and only found a position as a third driver.

The Force India/Hülkenberg partnership was interesting for the German driver as he was able to participate in 14 free practice sessions throughout the season for a total of almost 2000 kilometers according to Autosport. Despite this experience, he expects to have a challenging start in 2012 as he will have to learn the Pirelli tires – he had driven with Bridgestone tires during his debut with Williams in 2010.

« It will be difficult, but I already went through this process last year with Williams. I don’t know exactly how the Pirelli tires will behave so I will make sure to have all the necessary information to be able to learn quickly, » Hülkenberg told Autosport.

Even though he will have the team’s 2011 data, he knows that learning will mainly come through track time in his single-seater. He will need to drive to understand the Pirelli tires – the introduction of new rubber in 2012 could be a slight advantage for him since he won’t be the only one needing to adapt.

« You have to go on track and race in order to learn about the tires. From a theoretical standpoint, there isn’t much to do. You have to drive and learn. »

Hülkenberg will also discover the team, even though he has already worked with many people during the testing sessions. He therefore thinks that his adaptation will be quick.

« I know everyone on the team, all the engineers, but I haven’t worked with them as much as I would have as a race driver. I was involved in the briefings and spoke to them during race weekends, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. I am comfortable and happy with the guys on the team, » added the German driver.