Niko Hulkenberg insists that he was ‘satisfied’ with the way he performed for Force India in 2014, while admitting that team mate Sergio Perez helped to raise his game.

Hulkenberg returned to Force India for a second stint at the start of the campaign and ended the term with his best ever points haul.

The German is still yet to secure a podium finish in the Championship but ended the year in ninth position in the overall standings.

The Silverstone-based outfit looked strong in the early stages of the season but failed to back that up with a good second half, something Hulkenberg is keen to try and avoid in 2015.

Hulkenberg said: “I think on the whole I’m pretty satisfied with 2014.

“It was my best season in terms of points scored and my position in the championship.

“The first half of the year was a lot of fun – that was when the car was at its most competitive and we made that count. The four P5 finishes were results we worked hard to achieve and were definitely the highlights.

“The second half of the year was more challenging. Things did not really go my way and I was quite unlucky in several races. But it was good to end the season with a strong result in Abu Dhabi.”

The 27-year-old will partner Perez again next year and he believes that the Mexican is the perfect team mate, who helps to push him further.

He added: “Checo is a very strong team mate, which is a good thing because it helps bring out the best in me.”