Nico Hulkenberg breached the elusive 200 Grand Prix starts mark at the 2023 Mexican GP but has still held onto the unfavorable record of having the most races (227) without a podium in the sport. Yet, the German racing ace is considered as a solid driver up and down the paddock.
That said, former Haas F1 team boss, Guenther Steiner believes that the #27 driver was hard done by luck and bad decisions throughout his career. So much so that the American-Italian feels that Hulkenberg could have become a world champion.
“You know, he made always the wrong decision in his career. Because I think if he would have been a little lucky or be in a good car, when he was younger, I think he could have been a world champion,” explained the 59-year-old on the Red Flags podcast.
Hulkenberg has spent the entirety of his F1 career in the midfield. After a long-standing stint with Force India (now Aston Martin), he took a gamble on the Renault project. When that did not work out, he took a hiatus from F1 before joining Haas in 2023. Now, he is Audi’s project leader and will race for Sauber in 2025.
Hulkenberg Audi
Will the German partnership give Nico his first F1 podium? pic.twitter.com/68MSnUOTK4
— Autosport (@autosport) August 11, 2024
Steiner also went on to reveal that he always regarded the #27 driver very highly. In fact, he was the American-Italian’s first choice signing back in 2016 when Haas entered the sport. However, it was always Hulkenberg who avoided his advances before eventually signing for him two years ago.
Hulkenberg finally gave into Steiner’s advances but it was too late
According to the 59-year-old, he pursued the German racing driver for almost eight years before he decided to sign for the Kannapolis-based team in 2023. However, their alliance was short-lived as Steiner was sacked at the end of that very season.
Steiner developed differences with team owner Gene Haas and the team’s performance in the 2023 season also saw them plummet to 10th in the standings. This meant that the Italian-American’s time in the paddock came to an end.
Hulkenberg drove for Haas for two seasons (2023 and 2024) before announcing his move to Sauber for 2025 and beyond. This comes at a crucial time for the Hinwil-based team as they gear up to rebrand themselves as a works Audi outfit from 2026 onwards.
It will be interesting to see how the German manufacturer develops that team, given they have become a backmarker currently. Hulkenberg would also hope that Audi can overturn Sauber’s fortunes to provide him a shot at that elusive podium.
