As he fights to save his Formula 1 career, Nico Hulkenberg admits a lack of social skills when he was younger might have held him back during his decade in the top flight.
Since 2010, the 32-year-old has driven for Williams, Force India, Sauber and Renault, but he has lost his seat for 2020 and is struggling to find another.
Holding the record as the longest-serving F1 driver without a single podium, the German thinks his former shyness may have held him back.
“I used to be less social than I am today,” he told Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. “I didn’t talk much with people but I think being more open and communicative would have helped.”
Hulkenberg also attributes F1’s typical politics for leaving him struggling to find a seat, “Unfortunately, there are many factors and influences that as a driver takes things out of your hands. There’s a lot of politics in Formula 1. But maybe I was too shy as well, and that came across as arrogance.”
Big Question: Where did it go wrong for Hulk?