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Hulkenberg Signs Williams for F1 Debut - Report

Nico Hulkenberg will make his Formula One debut next year, for Williams F1 Team. The news is not official, but was reported by Germany's Bild-Zeitung – whose predictions in terms of F1 contracts have the tendency to become true – late yesterday. It seems the newly crowned GP2 champion will replace German driver Nico Rosberg in the Williams' 2010 lineup.

Asked about this prospect, Hulkenberg's manager Willi Weber insisted that no contract has been signed with Frank Williams. However, he hinted that such a negotiation is under way and very probably to end in the next few weeks.

I cannot confirm that. But I will be pleased if that is what happens,” said Weber to the German reporters.

Until now, every GP2 champion except for Giorgio Pantano made their step to Formula One racing the very following year. Out of all former GP2 champs, Hulkenberg made the quickest run to the title in F1's feeder series, as he won it before the final round of the season. Next year we might have a premiere in F1, as another GP2 driver is heavily linked with a move to the Great Circle, Vitaly Petrov.

It would be the first time two GP2 drivers would make the step to F1 together, as starting drivers.

Returning to Hulkenberg and his deal with Williams, the Grove based team had signed the German driver back in 2008 as test/reserve driver. In his current deal, Frank Williams has the first option for a racing job for Nico, which he will most likely activate before the end of the season.

As rumored in the media during the past few weeks, Nico Rosberg will most likely leave Grove at the end of the season, the only unknown being the team for which he'll start in 2010. Brawn GP seems to have the highest chance of signing Rosberg, as part of their presumable takeover by Mercedes in the years to come.
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