Hulkenburg preparing for grand prix debut
Williams driver Nico Hulkenburg says young drivers test in Jerez will let him acclimatise to F1 after eight months out
Tuesday, 01, Dec 2009 01:38
By Adam Leveridge.
Williams' new signing and the newly-crowned GP2 series champion Nico Hulkenburg said he wants to use the three-day young drivers' test in Jerez to acclimatise to formula one again after an eight-month gap since his last run in an F1 car.
The Williams driver will partner Rubens Barrichello in 2010 and is keen to be on a similar pace to the experienced Brazilian when the season begins in Bahrain and in a press conference in the Jerez paddock, Hulkenburg said he will work hard from now until March to learn as much as possible about the team and F1, by spending time with each of the departments at the Williams Grove factory.
"Between now and the opening grand prix of the season in Bahrain, I will visit each department, like the one where they prepare all the gearboxes and brakes for the races," said Hulkenburg.
"Basically, I will stay with each department for one month to get an impression of what their work is like and to also learn about the components in an F1 car and how they work.
"I think it will make me a better race driver, a little bit.
"It might not make me quicker at all, but it's just to gain experience, have fun and to learn, but it won't make me a worse race driver.
"I'm interested in the technical side as well and if we speak about setup or the technical side of the car, I want to have a picture of what they're doing.
"I'm interested in knowing what the team change on the car."
Hulkenburg said he will use the three-day young drivers' test in Jerez to acclimatise to F1 again, after eight months out of the car.
"For me, the main reason I want to test here is just to get back into an F1 car as I have been out of the car for eight months, which is a long time," said Hulkenburg.
"I want to get back into the team, learn how the engineers work and to get a lot of mileage to learn setups and to get an idea of what it's like on low and heavy fuel loads
"I think we're on target to be quick. You never know where the other teams are, so we will have to wait and see in February."