“It depends on what happens and what unfolds here. Once we have that answer, I’ll look at other things.

“I don’t want to rush into something or jump on something just to race. It needs to be something that I like, a challenge that excites me.

“I have no conclusion, no perfect answer for that yet.”

Hulkenberg was linked by reports in both the German and British media to a move into DTM for 2020, with one story claiming he was due to be unveiled as a BMW driver this week.

Hulkenberg retweeted the story to shoot it down, writing: “Thank you for the update to my future. Next time maybe less pot-stirring? #fakenews”

Additional reporting by Julianne Cerasoli.