Nico Hulkenberg made a grand return to F1 after sitting on the sidelines for three years when he signed up with Haas for the 2023 season. He replaced the outgoing Mick Schumacher, son of German F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Talking on the Beyond the Grid Podcast, Hulkenberg revealed that he expected a hostile reception from his countrymen for replacing Schumacher at Haas.
Schumacher made his F1 debut with Haas back in 2021. However, he failed to make an impact on the team in the two years that was he part of it. He suffered innumerable crashes that racked up a total bill of around $5,000,000 for Haas.
An unfortunate mistake in tricky wet conditions saw Mick Schumacher crash out in Monaco, a repeat of his 2021 street track crashes and another big rebuild job for Haas 😢#F1 #MonacoGP #Autosport pic.twitter.com/87AUNTMvIh
— Autosport (@autosport) June 2, 2022
Things got a bit complicated as Schumacher accused the American team of not being supportive of him throughout his stint at the team. Haas decided to sack Schumacher at the end of the 2022 season and Nico Hulkenberg was brought in to team up with Kevin Magnussen.
Nico Hulkenberg was wary of the kickback that might come with replacing Schumacher
Hulkenberg appeared on the latest episode of Beyond the Grid where host Tom Clarkson asked him if he received any kickbacks from his home crowd in Germany for replacing his fellow countryman. Clarkson also asked him if that scared him.
Hulkenberg revealed that he was wary of the fact that he might be subject to an unpleasant reception from his countrymen. However, the former Renault driver said, “He is a German but he is one of 20. You know if it was a Mexican or whatever nationality, it wouldn’t have made any difference to me to be honest.”
Pleased about the progress we‘ve made through this weekend in Zandvoort. Outstanding place to go racing, the Orange army definitely hits different 👏🏼 thx for this special atmosphere !! 🇳🇱#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/xJ52Qj7yG3
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) August 28, 2023
However, talking about if he actually did face any heat, Hulkenberg replied in the negative. Luckily, he did not have to face any unpleasant reception for joining Haas. Another aspect to this might be the fact that Hulkenberg has been pretty good this season for Haas, and has already signed up an extension for next year.
Hulkenberg has been a valuable addition to Haas
Of the 11 points that Haas has scored this season, nine have come from Hulkenberg and only two have been contributed to by Magnussen. The 36-year old German has managed to get the better of his teammate throughout this season and has put in some pretty decent performances with Haas.
In August, Steiner announced that Haas would be going forward with Hulkenberg for 2024. Talking about his driver, Steiner said, “Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team.” Therefore, it is evident that there will be a bit of pressure on Hulkenberg to perform even better next year.
