Nico Hulkenberg could be set for a shock stay at Williams after Sir Frank Williams, the team principal, hailed the young German driver.

Hulkenberg's drive at Williams was thought to be under severe threat given his performance this season - 18 points from 17 races.

GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado, who Williams will run at the end-of-season young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi, has been mooted as a replacement for Hulkenberg.

But Sir Frank's quotes have boosted his chances of retaining his drive. "It was a little disappointing, maybe, in the first few races, perhaps because he was being over-cautious," he told BBC Sport. "But lately he has become very competitive and we have just seen the beginning of something exceptional.

"We do hope [he will remain in F1]. He won all the way up to Formula 3 and GP2, he has won every single championship and in the right team, hopefully us one day, he will win the world championship as well in Formula 1."

Although Williams have yet to make an announcement on their drivers for next season, it is widely assumed that Rubens Barrichello's place is not at risk - and that supposition has been lent some weight by Sir Frank.

"He has enormous experience," he said. "He is now, without doubt, the most experienced driver in the pit lane and he does demonstrate that very frequently.

"His technique is very understated, he's a very smooth driver. He likes to be mollycoddled emotionally a little bit, and he likes being told how good he is, but we don't have any problem in telling him, we believe strongly in him. He's good fun and very experienced and that is a great value to any team."

According to Sport Bild, the Oxfordshire based team even wants him to sign a new five-year contract.