Hulkenberg set for podium finish in end of season party

German driver Nico Hulkenberg has been quietly going about his business in the second-half of the current Formula 1 season and his recent performances suggest a first ever podium finish could be on the horizon.

Hulkenberg is priced at 7/1 with Ladbrokes to claim a spot in the top three at Interlagos and with his future in F1 still unclear he’ll be eager to put on a show as the campaign draws to a close.

It’s been reported that the Sauber talent has been offered a new two-year contract to rejoin Force India following McLaren’s snub in favour of Sergio Perez.

But with that deal in the balance it’s still unclear which team Hulkenberg will find himself driving for next season.

Despite those concerns away from the track the German has been posting some impressive finishes recently.

Round 12 in Italy saw Hulkenberg end the race in fifth, followed by a fourth in South Korea and a sixth-place finish in USA last time out.

Given those performances he’s perhaps unsurprisingly 1/3 to finish in the points, with the 11/10 on offer for a top six finish offering arguably the best value regarding his chances in Brazil.

Qualifying fourth in Austin last week is another positive in favour of Hulkenberg with BBC Sport’s technical expert Gary Anderson suggesting “Sao Paulo’s Interlagos track will really suit the Sauber car.”

And having led the race last year before eventually falling away in the rain he’s already shown himself to be more than capable of taking on the challenges posed by the circuit.

Drivers’ champion Sebastian Vettel, a winner here in 2010, is 1/3 to claim an incredible ninth successive victory while two-time victor Mark Webber is 10/3 to call time on his F1 career by taking the chequered flag.

Top British duo Jenson Button (last year’s race winner) and Lewis Hamilton are priced at 200/1 and 20/1 respectively to finish the season with a victory.

However, it’s Hulkenberg who looks set to catch the eye and with another strong performance in qualifying he could spectacularly deliver and cap a fine fun of form.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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