Brawn wishes Hulkenberg Formula 1 cockpit

Silverstone (dpa) - Formula 1 sports director Ross Brawn wishes Nico Hülkenberg a permanent place in the premier motorsport class.

The Briton also revealed in his Formula 1 column after the race at Silverstone that he would have liked to have brought the Rhinelander to Mercedes earlier. "I almost signed him a few years ago when I was still in charge at Mercedes. If Lewis hadn't come to Mercedes then, Nico would have been our next choice," said the 65-year-old. "I've always respected Nico tremendously as a driver. He's a very strong driver who should be in Formula 1."

Hülkenberg did not get a cockpit at the end of last year. Most recently, the 32-year-old helped Racing Point in a lightning comeback in two races after Sergio Perez's corona illness. As a precaution, Hülkenberg is also traveling to Barcelona for the next Grand Prix. Brawn was formerly the Mercedes team principal. The Silver Arrows were won by Lewis Hamilton at the end of 2012 as the successor to Michael Schumacher.

Brawn feels reminded of the German record world champion with Silverstone winner Max Verstappen. "The limit of the car is not Max Verstappen's limit. He is able to sense the subtlety of the car and respond perfectly to it," he said after the Red Bull driver's first win of the season in England. "Max was simply sensational at Silverstone. He reminds me of Michael Schumacher in many ways." Brawn was once a technical director at Benetton and Ferrari, and was instrumental in Schumacher's seven world championship titles.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200810-99-112221 / 2

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