F1 News
Nico Hulkenberg wonders if shyness hampered F1 career
Nico Hulkenberg is one of two drivers who will not be returning to the Formula 1 grid in Australia after leaving the sport in 2019. The former Renault drivers wonders whether his lack of communication due to his shyness helped bring an earlier end to his F1 career than planned.
The 32-year-old spent almost 10 years in the circus but never got a race win. Throughout his career, the German had chances to move to bigger teams, but the deals were never completed.
"Unfortunately it didn't work out. You have to be in the right place with the right people at the right time. Everything just has to fit together. It would have helped if I had been more open and communicative. I was a little too closed, almost shy. Maybe that came across as arrogance, but it was not that," Hulkenberg told t-online.
"I was just too reserved and I didn't realise the importance of this aspect. 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'."