Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg says being a team leader isn’t important to him, but he will be focusing on helping to develop Renault in its second season since returning to Formula One as a full works team.
When Hulkenberg was announced to be joining Jolyon Palmer at Renault, it was expected the German would take on a leadership role as the team builds on the 2016 season.
Though even ex-team principal Frederic Vasseur said he expected the new recruit to be a team leader this season, Hulkenberg isn’t fussed about fulfilling the role.
“I think that’s something that gets emphasized by the media, to lead the team,” Hulkenberg told RACER. “What does it mean, to lead the team? You want to be in front, you want to beat your teammate. If you lead or not, it doesn’t matter.”
Hulkenberg may not see leading the team as important, but he does want to focus this season on developing the French team after its difficult year last season. Nobody is predicting any big leaps for Renault as they go into their second season since returning as a full works team, and Hulkenberg has said multiple times over the winter break that he sees his work for the team as a long term project.
“It’s more important for me to help the team, to bring it forward, to develop it,” he said. “That also means I have to beat my teammate – whoever that will be – both this year and beyond. But I’m not too fussed about the leader thing. I’m going to do my job and whoever is next to me is not really that important to me.”
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