Hulkenberg got the ‘no’ via SMS

Nico Hulkenberg was informed via an SMS message that he had not secured the Ferrari drive despite having a contract on the table…

Nico Hulkenberg was informed via an SMS message that he had not secured the Ferrari drive despite having a contract on the table.

According to his manager Werner Heinz, the Sauber driver’s lawyers had spent eight weeks working with Ferrari on a contract only for it to be withdrawn at the last minute.

Just two hours after Felipe Massa Tweeted that he would be leaving Ferrari at the end of this season, Heinz received an SMS from Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali informing him that the team had opted against signing Hulkenberg.

“After two months of negotiations, I at least expected a phone call,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

In fact the only thing separating Hulkenberg from being a Ferrari driver was one signature, Luca di Montezemolo’s.

The Ferrari President instead gave the nod to Kimi Raikkonen, who Ferrari confirmed on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Bild claims that Hulkenberg is now in talks with Lotus about replacing Raikkonen next season.