Seidl slammed door shut on Hulkenberg "Don't even get your hopes up"

Nico Hulkenberg revealed that in 2020, after getting replaced by Esteban Ocon at the Renault works team (Now Alpine), former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl brutally shut down his chances of a drive at the Woking team. 

In an interview with F1.com, current Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg revealed conversations he had with the former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl about driving for him, with the pair having worked together before. Hulkenberg returned to the sport in 2023 with Haas, after a series of 'super-sub' appearances for Racing Point and Aston Martin during his time out. 

What conversations were held between the pair? 

“I remember in 2020, before the season had started, and I was not sure what I wanted to do,” Hulkenberg said. “I phoned him up, and he was at McLaren at the time. I was like, ‘Is there maybe a chance for me?’, and he was like a straight, ‘No, don’t even get your hopes up, it’s not going to happen’.

“This time around [with the Audi project], a few years later, it was very different, and he was very keen to sign and to have me.”

Hulkenberg and Seidl have worked together in the past, with the German pair both at Porsche almost a decade ago, when the pair won the 24 hours of Le Man together, when Seidl was the head of Porsche's World Endurance Championship efforts. 

Seidl is currently CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG, which runs Kick Sauber, and the future Audi F1 team. He joined the Hinwil-based team in 2022 after leaving his role as team principal at McLaren. The pair will reunite next year when Hulkenberg joins Kick Sauber after two seasons with Haas. He cites Seidl as a big factor in his move. 

"He’s the driving factor there," Hulkenberg admitted. "One of the deciders, one of the top, key people in the management at Audi. Of course, it came through him, and he’s a very direct and straightforward guy with me."

Hulkenberg is currently 13th in the driver's standings, whilst neither Sauber driver has scored a point yet, leaving them last in the Constructor's Standings.