Nico Hulkenberg made his F1 return with Haas this year after the American team decided to show Mick Schumacher the exit door. The German driver was out of the grid from 2019 after his contract with Renault was not extended. Nevertheless, he is now living life in Haas and therefore thanked the team for not making him clear cars, as per F1 Maximal.
Hulkenberg has been in the sport for over a decade now. Along with racing for multiple teams, the 36-year-old now has 197 race starts to his name. Therefore, he amassed immense experience in the sport.
No need to call Gene 😉
Hulk x @HaasF1Team x 2024 🤝Also happy to continue working alongside @KevinMagnussen !#f1 pic.twitter.com/SM24drxXv9
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) August 24, 2023
As he replaced a fellow German Schumacher in a controversial situation and Sebastian Vettel retired from the sport, Hulkenberg is the only standing German driver on the grid. However, he also received ample support from the Netherlands due to his proximity to the Dutch land for his Karting days.
Hulkenberg and his Dutch memories
Hulkenberg, the Haas driver, has opened up about his Karting days from his childhood with an exclusive interview with F1 Maximal. He said he was eight years old when he lived in Emmerik, a place near the Dutch border.
As he grew up there, he got along well with the place right from his young days. He also picked up the Dutch language, which impressed the local people. Therefore, he grew quite popular among the Dutch fans.
👍 up for Sprint Race Week!
Back racing in Qatar at the weekend 🇶🇦#HaasF1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/MMu5aPDvR8
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) October 2, 2023
Admittedly, Hulkenberg also had enough lessons about racecraft from Michel Vacirca, who was very hard on him. So much so that he even made the Haas driver clean his Kart, and now, he thanks his team for not being instructed to do the same.
How is Hulkenberg performing in 2023?
Nico Hulkenberg saw his peak days in Formula 1 with Force India and then Renault. As he was Daniel Ricciardo’s teammate on the French team, he, at times, lived up to his expectations.
Coming into Haas in 2023, the German driver continued to do that as he is currently leading his teammate Kevin Magnussen. Given how Magnussen had a mighty 2022 F1 season and got a better knowledge of the Haas challenger, it shows the talent the German driver still possesses.
Hulkenberg stands in P14 in the championship with nine points. Compared to him, Magnussen stands in P18 with three points, six points less than the 34-year-old with the same number of races. As for the team Haas F1, they stand in P8 of the Constructors’ championship with 12 points.
