Former Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg has decided against the prospect of a career in the NTT IndyCar Series.
The 34-year-old German racer, who lost his full-time Formula 1 seat at Renault at the end of 2019 and is now Aston Martin’s reserve, tested for the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama, recently.
Hulkenberg, who has made 179 career F1 starts, said IndyCar is beast.
“I can definitely confirm that these monsters are very difficult to drive. I probably need to go the gym more often,” Hulkenberg said after his IndyCar test.
Quick update regarding Indycar: It was exciting to test an Indycar two weeks ago and I am grateful to @ArrowMcLarenSP for this opportunity. However for personal reasons I decided not to go ahead with it. Keep you posted on my future plans. #WeRideOn
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) November 4, 2021
It was reported that McLaren was prepared to offer Hulkenberg some one-off outings in a third car next year in IndyCar, before adding a full-time third entry to its team for 2023.
Hulkenberg, however, is pulling out of the opportunity.
“It was exciting to test an Indy car two weeks ago, and I am grateful to Arrow McLaren SP,” he announced on social media. “However for personal reasons I decided not to go ahead with it. (I’ll) keep you posted on my future plans.”