“He will start a little bit on the back foot”- Niko Hulkenberg predicts a slow start to the 2022 season for Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel, who missed the first two races of the 2022 season will struggle at first according to Aston Martin reserve Nico Hulkenberg. 

Vettel’s positive Covid report came just moments before the first F1 weekend of the season. Consequently, he missed out on the Bahrain GP and also the Saudi Arabian GP.

After sitting out the first two rounds, the Aston Martin driver is set to return in Australia. It’s the first time we’ll see an F1 race in the country since 2019, and it’s a great occasion for Vettel to make his return.

TEAM UPDATE: We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside @lance_stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 @F1 season at the @ausgrandprix. 💚#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/LrFqaHyQ8W

— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 31, 2022

Aston Martin’s reserve driver Hulkenberg, filled in for the four-time World Champion in those two races. While the AMR22’s performance this season has been woeful so far, Hulkenberg’s short stint was heavily praised.

Now that Vettel’s coming back, it’s time for Hulkenberg to vacate the seat again. The German, in a recent interview stated that he feels Vettel will struggle in his first few races back.

Also read: Alpine sense a great opportunity to nip Mercedes for P3 in Constructors Standings

Sebastian Vettel is a four time World Champion, his experience will help him crawl his way back

The 2022 season saw massive regulation changes that have altered the way F1 races go about. As we saw in the first two races, following other cars is now much easier, so it has led to an increased number of overtakes per race.

Vettel took part in pre-season, but a race weekend is a different experience altogether. Hulkenberg feels that even though Vettel will have to ‘dig deep’, his tremendous talent and experience will help him climb back to the top.

“Obviously, he’s lacking those two races, so he will start a little bit on the back foot,” Hulkenberg said after the Saudi Arabian GP.

“I think he is very skilled and is very talented. He is capable of catching up. But, for sure, he has a bit more work to do. And he needs to dig a little bit deeper to try and make up for it.”

Aston Martin have had a dreadful start to 2022. They didn’t look strong in pre-season testing, and the disappointment has carried forward to the opening rounds. So far, the Silverstone team are pointless in the standings.

Also read: Tristan Thompson and Lance Stroll turn out to be more marketable Canadians than Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins