McLaren did pass on Hülkenberg last year. They said he was too big and heavy and that was that. I guess this also means they won't consider him this year.acosmichippo wrote: How many top teams have really "passed" on Hulkenberg, though?
- Red Bull are clearly committed to their young driver program, so they don't really count.
- You could count McLaren with their having tried Perez and Magnussen, but Perez had money, and Magnussen was in their driver program.
- Ferrari have had Alonso, Massa, and Kimi. Next year maybe Vettel. All clearly better than Hulk except MAYBE Massa.
- Merc have had Schumi, Rosberg, and Hamilton. All better.
- Williams up until this year haven't really even been a team Hulk would consider an upgrade from Force India or Sauber. But even now Massa and Bottas are at least as good as Hulk.
- Lotus, maybe. But they also had Kimi, Maldonado has a ton of cash, and Grosejan has sponsor connections.
Same with Ferrari, it was either him or Kimi. This was widely discussed in the press, and most important for that story's authenticity, Hülkenberg also confirmed it. And honestly, with Kimi being outscored 3 to 1 by Alonso, Hülkenberg might have been the better choice, but who knows...
And Williams, as you said, wasn't an option. However, Massa should really consider himself lucky he's got a contract for more than a year, because it's suddenly a desirable seat and he's getting utterly crushed by Bottas. He's ALWAYS got an excuse and nothing is ever his fault. That can't go on well for long.
