Le Mans and F1 in same year? Too much now, says Hulkenberg
'It definitely took some time to first understand the car and get a grip on it and properly get the lap time out of it,' he recalled. 'I was still improving and understanding, I was clicking only really in the night of the race.
'To jump back into Formula One I think was not a problem, because there was so much positivity after a race like this. I remember jumping into Austria and I was owning it and I was boss. It was no problem going back.'
The German's Formula One career has taken him from Williams in 2010 to racing for Aston Martin's predecessors Force India and Racing Point as well as Sauber, Renault and Haas with some gaps in between.
'Why am I still here?,' asked Formula One's only current German driver. 'Because they still want me.'
Hulkenberg holds the record for most Formula One races without ever standing on the podium but that is also testament to his enduring worth as a driver with engineering and set-up skills as well as speed.
His 236 starts are way more than the next man on the list without a podium, retired fellow-German Adrian Sutil on 128.
On the plus side, Hulkenberg has two fastest laps and a pole position and next year will be in at the start with the Audi factory team when Sauber is renamed.
'I still love what I do. You know, Formula One and racing is my passion. It's what I do best, it's what I love. What else should I do?' he said.
'I think it's the competition, you know, the thrill of qualifying, the buzz of a race, kicking ass but even the bad days — just the racing, everything. I love that.'
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