Nico Hulkenberg says Force India's lack of budget and squad size compared to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull means the team will struggle to🥀 trump its 2016 F1 campaign in the🐻 future.

The Renault-bound driver helped Force India to its best-ever F1 season finishing fourth in the world constructors' championship, while Hulkenberg enjoyed equalling his own best year in the sport by finiဣshing ninth in the drivers' standings.

While Sergio Perez feels Force India can continue to progress and potentially target the top three in 2017, Hulkenberg says it will be 'very difficult' for the Silverstone-based squad to close up to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull without backing from a manufacturer or additional outside ꦓfinancial help.

"It is difficult to predict. To move on further, to close the gap in terms of being in the mix with the top three te🔜ams, it's ve෴ry difficult," Hulkenberg said. "I think they would need a bit more budget, more resources.

"I think the people are there, we have a very good team in place here at the track but also ba𒊎ck at the factory so I think that wouldn't stop it. It's a huge challenge and it's not easy."

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That thinking was part of the key reasons behin🐽d Hulkenberg's switch to Renault in 2017 with the German driver putting faith in the French manufacturer's long term ౠgoal of returning to the top table in F1.

Reflecting on his final season with Force India, the former Le Mans 24 Hours winner is pleased with his consistency, having scored points in 14 out of 21 races, but lamen🏅ts the near-misses at Monaco and🍌 Spa of a maiden F1 podium.

"There's a few cases for sure w💎here things happened and we were just unlucky," he said. "D﷽on't know why. But it's not that I think about it and cry like 'I'm always the unlucky one', it's just life. Hopefully it returns the other way, a favour in the next few years."

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Hulkenberg joins Jolyon Palmer at Re𒀰nault in 2017 wh🥂ile Esteban Ocon takes up the second race seat at Force India alongside Sergio Perez.

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