Hulkenberg eyes Force India seat

Nico Hulkenberg admits that Force India is the team he is most likely to land a race-seat with. Having been let go by Williams, Hulkneberg is on the lookout for a new drive, and the young German spoke earlier in the week of his strong belief that he would be successful in his quest. The 23-year-old now reveals that he is in talks with Force India about a contract, and hopes to have resolved the situation in the coming weeks. "Right now as we talk I am not sure. I hope, and we are working very hard, to get a deal done but it is no secret that there are not many good race seats left," he told the official Formula One website. "The hope is still there and I am not giving up. I hope I can give you a positive answer very soon. Hopefully before Christmas. "Force India is our best shot, but it is also no secret that quite a few drivers are trying to land a seat there. We are talking to them and let's wait and see what develops." Hulkenberg largely impressed during his debut season, with the highlight undoubtedly a pole position in Brazil, a feat he admits he had hoped would secure his place at Williams. "Of course [I hoped it would be enough]. This Brazilian pole position was something that Williams had not tasted in years, but then again, one lap does not change the course of history," he explained. "There had been signs before that there was something brewing, because the team repeatedly delayed contract talks, putting it off to 'manana', so I was forewarned that something was going on. Nevertheless I would have liked to stay with them." Hulkenberg's replacement at Williams, Pastor Maldonado, has secured the backing of a handful of sponsors, including the Venezuelan government, and Hulkenberg concedes that it is becoming near impossible to make it in F1 on talent alone. "It has become much, much harder to open doors if your application does not come with a serious sponsor package and you really only rely on your talent as the sole 'sales argument'," he said. "This is quite frustrating and somewhat sad - especially if you can show you have had a good season as a reference." Asked where he would look next if a deal was not made with Force India, the 2009 GP series winner was defiant in his answer: "I don't want to think about a Plan B. My focus is 100 percent on finding a good race seat for 2011. That is where all my efforts are going right now."

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