Nico Hulkenberg would be open to partnering Fernando Alonso at Renault, amid reports the Spaniard could return to the team he won his two Formula 1 championships at in 2005 and 2006.
Alonso seemed to fuel the possibility of him leaving McLaren at the end of this season, claiming the British team, which currently sits bottom of the Constructors’ standings, would have to be “winning before September” if he was to stay on next year.
The 35-year-old has reiterated that he would only want a seat in F1 where he could compete for a third world title, though it remains to be seen if the Enstone-outfit could meet that requirement, at least the prospect of having Alonso as a team-mate is only a positive one for Hulkenberg.
“[It would be] More of a chance, and a good reference for me to measure myself with the guy who for years is considered to be one of the best in the world and F1,” he said.
“I’d be open to that, sure. I think I can learn from him and I think it would be good for the team, for the whole project as well to get someone like him on board.”
Both drivers also have the distinction of having competed on one-off occasions outside F1 in recent years, with Alonso returning in Canada after a failed attempt to win the Indy 500.
“I didn’t follow it that much, to be honest, but I was quite impressed,” the German said of the Spaniard’s effort.
“I don’t know anything about Indy, I have to say, but I didn’t think he could just come in and brush the other guys off and go home with a win. I didn’t follow it too closely but it looked pretty much like that.”
Hulkenberg also commented about how Fernando’s success, along with his own with Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours two years ago, highlighted the high standard of drivers in today’s F1.
“I thought to myself, the example of him going to Indy, he had a good chance of winning that race. What I did a couple of years ago at Le Mans, it just shows the drivers in F1, the quality, it’s right up there, and we’re still the best drivers in the world,” he said.
“That shows if you go and explore a different racing series with very little time but be on the money and be competitive, it’s just good confirmation of that.”
