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Williams Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany takes a drink as he talks with...
Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg fears money could talk louder than talent when it comes to deciding his Formula One team's 2011 lineup.The highly-rated 23-year-old German rookie has scored just 18 points from his 17 races so far, but has been praised by team bosses for his performances, and is waiting to hear whether he will be retained.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who followed 2009 winner Hulkenberg as champion in this year's GP2 support series, is backed by his country's state oil company PDVSA and will join Williams for a young driver test in Abu Dhabi later this month.
"With the announcing that Maldonado is doing the test, they won't make a decision before he has done the test so everything is still as before," Hulkenberg told Reuters when asked at the Brazilian Grand Prix about his future.
"We've just got to be patient...it would be a lot nicer to sit here with a contract in my pocket for next year already but I got used to it. It doesn't really affect my performance or my sleep at night."
Hulkenberg's team mate is Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, the 38-year-old who has started more races than any other Formula One driver.
Barrichello is also waiting to hear about his future, although his technical expertise has been invaluable to the team this season.
"I'm talking deeply with Williams and nobody else. My feeling is that I will be here next year," he told reporters at Interlagos on Thursday.
Hulkenberg, whose wily manager Willi Weber spent years guiding the career of seven times champion Michael Schumacher, said he would just do the best he could and wait to see what happened.
"It is very hard and it's very unfortunate and disappointing that Formula One is in such a situation again," he said when asked about the danger of finance being a deciding factor.
"But 'pay drivers' overcome almost the talent of drivers.
"Willi is a good manager and knows a lot of people and can be helpful. But it's also a tough world out there," said the German.
Williams co-owner Patrick Head said at the previous South Korean Grand Prix that financial considerations would be a factor in deciding the driver line-up.
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