The Sauber F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg is apparently dissatisfied with the performance of the team in the first two races of the new 2013 F1 season. After signing from Force India after the end of the last season, Hulkenberg has been left disappointed following the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix. Hulkenberg was unable to make his debut for his new team at the Australian Grand Prix because his car developed issues just 90 min before the race. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, things were only slightly better. Hulkenberg was widely expected to do much better than his rookie teammate Esteban Gutierrez.
However, the 25-year-old German only managed to finish just four places above his teammate. Even though he said after the race that it was a good result for the team, he is thought to have said in a private conversation that the result was totally not acceptable. The German is thought to be extremely worried about the tyre degradation at high speeds. He is also unable to keep up with the likes of Lotus and McLaren, who could be ideally challenged by Sauber this season. Due to the fact that the team now has a lot of data, Hulkenberg is thought to be positive about the situation.
“Thank you guys, but we have to improve in many areas. This is not acceptable. When I go at the speed of Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren, I quickly ruin the tyres. Now we have a lot of data and impressions and I hope we can draw the right conclusions. There are still some areas where there are gaps. The car does not fit me like a shoe,” said Hulkenberg in a private conversation, which has been released by a German newspaper. The next race will be in China in three weeks time.