Nico Hulkenberg does not think that he will be returning to Le Mans in "the foreseeable future".

Despite racing full time in Formula 1, the German is the 24-hour endurance race's reigning winner, having won for Porsche this time last year.

However, Hulkenberg cannot rejoin his Porsche teammates this weekend because Le Mans controversially clashes with the inaugural grand prix in Baku.

Asked if he wants to return to Le Mans, Hulkenberg told Germany's Auto Bild: "Definitely.

"Firstly, winning is always cool - it's why I became a racing driver. But to do it with a big project and a brand like Porsche was mega-exciting.

"After my time in Formula 1 I definitely want to go there and do it again. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be the case in the foreseeable future that I will be able to do both [series] in parallel.

Perhaps that has something to do with his current situation in F1, where despite being highly rated by most, he is currently being outshone by his teammate Sergio Perez.

Asked if the Mexican has surprised him, Hulkenberg answered: "Not really. Already in the second half of last year he was very consistent.

"But my season until Monaco had a lot of bad luck. I had so many problems - not just in the race but also qualifying, and many things that are known only within the team."

Hulkenberg is 13th in the driver standings ahead of the race in Baku.