Nico Hulkenberg has admitted the likelihood of a Lotus race seat for 2014 has dropped almost to zero. Asked by the Swiss newspaper Blick to say where he is going after the Brazil finale, the Sauber driver answered: "I can only say that I am going (on), but not where. "The options are well known," said the German, who despite having a seat fitting at Enstone this week ultimately decided against replacing Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen for the last two races of 2013. "Force India, Sauber, […]

In a sport where getting around as quickly as possible is the ultimate goal, playing the waiting game can sometimes pay dividends. In a driver market with more fluidity than the River Nile, Nico Hülkenberg’s decision to remain with Sauber, rather than replace the injured Kimi Räikkönen at Lotus, leaves him with more options on the table for 2014. Hülkenberg could have moved teams for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, but opted to stay with Sauber due to reservations over 2014. “Of course it […]

Lotus has confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will replace Kimi Raikkonen for the rest of the 2013 season. Raikkonen will skip the final two rounds of the year after electing to undergo surgery on his injured back and compatriot Kovalainen will take over in America and Brazil. Kovalainen completed a seat fitting at the Lotus factory on Wednesday, before flying out to Austin. Kovalainen raced for Lotus under their previous guise, Renault, in his rookie season in 2007, finishing on the podium in the Japanese Grand […]

Ferrari stopped Nico Hulkenberg from joining Lotus for the last two grands prix of 2013. That is the hot rumour in the Austin paddock, as the two teams battle over millions for third place in the constructors' championship. The first rumour was that Ferrari, who have signed Kimi Raikkonen for 2014, may have encouraged the Finn to arrange early back surgery and miss Austin and Brazil. Now, it is being reported that Lotus approached Hulkenberg to replace the Finn, only to find surprisingly that the […]

Heikki Kovalainen may only have been Lotus' third choice as the 2013 successor for surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen. The Enstone based team will announce on Thursday that Finn Kovalainen, who has been Caterham's 'Friday' driver this season, will race in Austin and Brazil at the wheel of Raikkonen's number 7. But it emerged this week that Nico Hulkenberg was also approached by Lotus, who found the German locked into the rest of his contract at Sauber. And Michael Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm told Bild newspaper that […]

Lotus is poised to announce Heikki Kovalainen as the replacement for his surgery-bound countryman Kimi Raikkonen for the last two races of 2013. It emerged earlier that the Enstone based team, despite having last year's GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi as its reserve driver, had made an offer to Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg turned it down, but it was a clear sign that Italian Valsecchi was not in fact the obvious favourite for the role, as Lotus tries desperately to improve its position in the lucrative […]

Nico Hulkenberg turned down an offer from Lotus to replace the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen for the remaining two grands prix of 2013. German Hulkenberg, who currently drives for Sauber, is the hot favourite to replace Raikkonen full-time in 2014, but only if financially-struggling Lotus completes its crucial investment deal with the Quantum group. If that deal collapses, as many insiders believe it will, Pastor Maldonado - who will not drive for Williams next season - is tipped to switch his lucrative PDVSA backing to the […]

Fellow Finn Mika Salo has nominated Heikki Kovalainen as the ideal replacement at Lotus for his surgery-bound countryman Kimi Raikkonen. The conventional wisdom is that Lotus will simply promote its reserve driver, 2012 GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi, into Raikkonen's seat for the remaining two grands prix of the season. Italian Valsecchi, however, is a rookie, but Enstone based Lotus is locked in a lucrative and - given its financial problems - crucial battle for points and prize money in the constructors' world championship's upper places. […]

Two candidates have emerged as possible replacements for the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus for the remaining two grands prix of the year. If the 'Quantum' investment arrives at the Enstone based team, German driver Nico Hulkenberg is Lotus' preferred choice to succeed Raikkonen permanently for 2014. But given Raikkonen's premature exit, does he have a chance to switch from Sauber a couple of races early? "Not likely," Hulkenberg's manager Werner Heinz told Bild newspaper. "No one has talked with us about that." In reality, […]

Eric Boullier has admitted Pastor Maldonado is in the running to race for Lotus in 2014. But at the same time, the Enstone based team's boss made it clear that his preferred pick to replace the Ferrari-bound Kimi Raikkonen is Nico Hulkenberg. "I would love to (sign him)," Frenchman Boullier told F1's official website. "This is the recommendation that I gave to my board." The board, however, will have to weigh its decision against financial considerations, with Lotus' 35 per cent sale to a group […]

Romain Grosjean has named Nico Hulkenberg as his ideal new teammate at Lotus for 2014. As it stands, even Grosjean's place at the Enstone based team is not guaranteed, even though he said bosses are happy with his performance. Grosjean told RMC Sport: "It is a very good moment where everything is going pretty well. The car is good and I feel good. "I feel good here but I think they (Lotus) are trying to solve the financial trouble and it puts everything else on […]

Romain Grosjean has expressed his delight after finishing on the podium in the Japanese Grand Prix. Grosjean took the lead at the start and maintained a comfortable gap to Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Grosjean was eventually usurped by Vettel following the second round of stops and the Frenchman was also passed by the three stopping Webber with a handful of laps remaining. "Today was just a very, very good race," he said. "What a start! It was superb to go past […]