Friday, February 22, 2013
'Cinderella' Hulkenberg finds the shoe that fits
(Reuters) - Like a sporting Cinderella, Sauber Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg has been given the shoe that fits.
Whether his season turns out to be a fairytale with a happy ending remains to be seen but the tall German was content on Friday to have swept away at least one of his problems.
Sauber F1 team principal Monisha Kaltenborn (C), former team principal Peter Sauber (R) and driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany attend the unveiling the C32-Ferrari Formula One car at the company's headquarters in Hinwil, east of Zurich February 2, 2013. REUTERS/Michael BuholzerHulkenberg, who has moved to the Swiss team from Force India, had trouble getting comfortable in his new cockpit at the first pre-season test in Jerez this month with talk of it being too tight for him.
"The media has blown up all these stories. The real issue was that in Jerez we didn't have the right shoe size for me - that was it," he told Formula One's official website (www.formula1.com).
"Now with the right shoe size everything is perfect.
"Does that make me the F1 Cinderella? That only the one with the 'right' shoe size will see a happy ending? Who knows? I do love fairytales - I just wonder who is playing the wicked stepmother," he added with a laugh.
Hulkenberg has yet to finish on the podium in two seasons in Formula One, despite taking pole position with Williams in Brazil in 2010, but his new team finished in the top three on four occasions last year.
The 25-year-old, who has been linked to Ferrari as a possible successor to Brazilian Felipe Massa next year, was confident he had made the right decision in joining the Swiss Ferrari-powered team.
"You never know, the big breakthrough might be here at Sauber," he said.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Tom Pilcher)
- Chong Wei urges team-mates to bounce back from shock defeat to Taiwan
- Koo-Tan’s stunning loss rocks Malaysian camp
- Danial shatters 100m mark as four records fall on opening day
- Kien Keat-Boon Heong may not play in Group C tie against Germany
- Sindhu shines for India after spectacular performance
- Golf: Johnson triumphs by one stroke at Mobile Bay LPGA
- Dani reigns in Le Mans
- Wee Wern relishes playing at unique venue ... a football stadium
- KLHC to the fore again
- Kjaersfeldt ready to continue strong Danish tradition
- ‘Comeback king’ Timothy lands his second title
- Lowe reunited with Hamilton at Mercedes
- F1 tyre changes to be less dramatic than feared
- Golf: Johnson triumphs by one stroke at Mobile Bay LPGA
- Results worldwide
- Bradley clings to lead in Texas with surging Korean one stroke adrift
- Classy Williams sweeps Azarenka aside in final
- Kien Keat-Boon Heong may not play in Group C tie against Germany
- Kjaersfeldt ready to continue strong Danish tradition
- Broad salutes Anderson as England hammer Kiwis
RSS
