![\"Nico-Hulkenberg-car-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/gallery\/f1-2013-rif-images\/f1-2013-drivers\/Nico-Hulkenberg-car-1.jpg\")
Actually, as recently as Sunday in the Austin paddock, most insiders now expected that Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado’s PDVSA millions had resulted in a done deal for the most competitive race seat still vacant on next year’s grid.<\/p>\nNico Hulkenberg is still the big player at the tail-end of the 2014 driver ‘silly season’.<\/p>\n
Actually, as recently as Sunday in the Austin paddock, most insiders now expected that Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado’s PDVSA millions had resulted in a done deal for the most competitive race seat still vacant on next year’s grid.<\/p>\n
That might be why Maldonado suddenly toned down his astonishing attack on Williams, including suspicions of sabotage, on Sunday — perhaps he was told behaviour like that is not welcome at Lotus, even despite his PDVSA power.<\/p>\n
“In the good times we were together, and also the bad times,” he said, referring to Williams as his “family”.<\/p>\n
Maldonado also had a bad race to go with his bad qualifying in Texas, as he clashed on the first lap with Force India’s angry Adrian Sutil.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had many incidents with this driver,” said the German, “so maybe he needs an emergency area around him to avoid these kinds of things.”<\/p>\n
Lotus may be holding out hope that the albeit very delayed investment by the ‘Quantum’ group eventually hits its bank account.<\/p>\n
Quantum chief Mansoor Ijaz has made clear he wants the highly talented, but mainly unsponsored, Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel in 2014.<\/p>\n
Asked about Hulkenberg on Sunday, Ijaz told Britain’s Sky: “We’re going to make that part of it happen in terms of making sure he (team boss Eric Boullier) gets enough money.<\/p>\n
“We’re very close now — I’m pretty sure we’ll get it done this week,” he added.<\/p>\n
Hulkenberg, then, can still hope.\u00a0 And many believe he is also still in the running for Paul di Resta’s Force India seat.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Hulkenberg’s manager Werner Heinz was seen in the Force India hospitality area, speaking with deputy boss Bob Fernley, after the US grand prix, according to French television Canal Plus.<\/p>\n
And Britain’s Sky claimed on Sunday that Monisha Kaltenborn wants the German to stay at Sauber in 2014.<\/p>\n
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Hulkenberg smiled after hearing about his options on Sunday, after finishing the US grand prix in a strong sixth place.<\/p>\n
“All I can do is keep delivering on the track.”<\/p>\n
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