In his 129th race start in 2017, Nico Hulkenberg registered his name in an unwanted F1 record. The recently concluded British GP was his 215th, and this unwanted record yet continues to haunt him. That is the record for the most race appearances with no podium finishes. Despite that, Guenther Steiner believes Hulkenberg had the potential to be a world champion. The reason why he is not is Hulkenberg himself, as per the Italian-American.
The German driver is back in the spotlight lately, but this time it is for all the good reasons. On the back of a series of good performances, Hulkenberg landed himself P6 finishes in Austria as well as Britain.
Steiner, who brought the #27 driver to Haas, during his time as the team’s boss was mighty impressed. However, that was his third attempt at luring Hulkenberg to the all-American team.
Back-to-Back P6 Baby !!!
20 points in the last two races for @HaasF1Team .. let‘s go pic.twitter.com/xCUMbTN6B0
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) July 7, 2024
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, he revealed, “I wanted to get him in the car, and in the last minute, he pulled out and stayed at Force India. We had a second talk a few years later to come to Haas. And he again went to Renault. I always respected him because, for me, he is one of these guys who did it to himself to [be in] the wrong place.”
“He always made the wrong decision. If he would have been a little lucky and been in a good car when he was younger, I think he could have been a world champion,” Steiner added.
Thanks to Hulkenberg’s 22 points, Haas is comfortably sitting in P7 in the Constructors’ standings with a total of 27 points. That is a whole 27 points more than what Sauber has managed so far in the season. Despite that, Hulkenberg has chosen to move to the Swiss team in 2025.
Is Hulkenberg heading for another disaster?
Sauber is not entirely the reason why Hulkenberg is willing to move bases in 2025. The reason is the impending Audi takeover which will happen in 2026.
The German automaker will also produce its own engines, which makes the entire project a lot more exciting. However, that is no guarantee of success if one is to take Alpine’s example.
The team needs an experienced campaigner to drive their progress, though, and Hulkenberg is one of the most sought-after drivers in that department. The prospect of influencing the car to his own liking in the new era could have been the reason why he accepted the offer.
However, expecting a new team to land in the podium finishes right from the get-go would not be ideal. A realistic assessment would rather suggest keeping those expectations in check for a few years.
If Hulkenberg can prolong his career until then, the move could prove to be a masterstroke. Otherwise, it would be another catastrophic decision in the life of a driver who could have achieved great success, but it was never meant to be for him for one reason or another.
