Racing Point said that Hülkenberg’s experience and strong track record made him “the ideal driver” to pick. The team has not said whether he will also race in the second Silverstone grand prix, the following weekend, when Perez is likely to remain quarantined.
“Having to find a replacement for Sergio at short notice is no easy task, but in Nico we’ve got a fantastic supersub who the team knows very well,” said Szafnauer. “He’s certainly being thrown in at the deep end, but he’s a fast learner and I’m sure he will get up to speed quickly.”
Hülkenberg joined Sauber in 2013, but returned in 2014 for three years, alongside Perez, who he typically outqualified, but fared slightly less well in terms of championship points.
During his time at the team, he matched his career-best fourth-place finish but failed to make it into the top three. This continued when he moved to Renault, into a record-breaking run: no driver has made more F1 starts without a podium finish.
Silverstone, where the Mercedes-inspired Racing Points are expected to perform well, may offer his best chance yet of bringing the run to an end.