In Singapore, Nico Hulkenberg crossed the finish line in 9th place, earning two points for himself and Haas. It was yet another great performance from a driver who, too often, goes unnoticed, probably also due to the lack of podiums and victories in his palmares. Hulkenberg, however, sees another important opportunity in Formula 1 on the horizon: his future in Audi.
Nico Hulkenberg and that missed opportunity in Brazil in 2012
Interlagos 2012. Nico Hulkenberg starts seventh aboard his white Force India decorated with green and orange filaments. It was a positive season overall: 58 points earned by beating Paul Di Resta, a good driver and his teammate. After all, the goals at the time, as today, were not exactly ambitious. Hulkenberg and Force India spent the races fighting in the middle of the group, trying to impose themselves on the teams of their same level. And so, even for that Brazilian Sunday, a race of elbowing in the middle of the group was predicted. Everything as predicted, at least at the beginning, if it were not for the fact that the Interlagos circuit, among its continuous ups and downs, hides that very malicious ability to overturn the table with all the cards already laid out on it. In short, anything can happen.
In fact, on the Sao Paulo circuit, the weather is anything but clement. When the rain arrives, many stop to put on intermediate tires, while Nico Hulkenberg stays out with slicks, taking the lead on lap 19 by overtaking Jenson Button in the McLaren. The German will remain first until lap 48, when due to a mistake he will be forced to give way to Lewis Hamilton. But Hulkenberg does not give up, and on lap 55 he tries to take back the first position with a braking move at the end of the main straight. The overtaking of Hamilton seems to be succeeding, but moving off the trajectory in the wet conditions causes him to lose the rear of the car, coming into contact with the Englishman from McLaren. Despite everything, the Force India driver will finish the race in fifth place.
2024 season so far: revenge on Sergio Perez in Singapore
A feat that was almost achieved, which went unnoticed as the spotlight that day was all on the world championship fight between Vettel and Alonso. Nico silently continued his career in the following years, always driving for modest teams, but capitalizing on everything he could, even going further in the right circumstances. Furthermore, he has never been an easy teammate to beat. Just ask Sainz, who in 2018 finished behind him in the drivers' standings, when both were at Renault. In fact, the German has lost the internal fight within his team only four times in eleven seasons. He has also been around many teams, demonstrating a good ability to adapt: from Williams to Haas, passing through Force India, Sauber and Renault. In all of them, since the first year when he managed to win a Pole in Williams in 2010, Nico Hulkenberg has always left a good memory of himself, winning very important points for mid-group teams.
And so the years passed, the seasons and a good 238 Grand Prix. The last one, in Singapore, saw Hulkenberg finish 9th, keeping Sergio Perez's Red Bull behind him for the entire second stint. It's not even the first time this has happened. In fact, in the last Austrian GP the German had already got the better of the Mexican. Ironically, Perez was the driver Red Bull chose to focus on at the end of 2020, preferring him to Hulkenberg. The latter, with last Sunday's race, has hooked Lance Stroll is tenth in the drivers' standings, bringing Haas to within three points of Racing Bulls, who currently occupy sixth place in the constructors' standings. Important results, especially when compared to last season, which ended in last place with only twelve points.
A long and complicated career: Hulkenberg's value beyond the statistics
Who knows what Nico Hulkenberg's career would have been like if he hadn't lost the rear of his Force India that day at Interlagos. Maybe that contact he had in 2014 with Ferrari would have materialized. Instead, no, that was his greatest opportunity to grab that victory and that podium that never came, despite having always had great confidence in them in all the other categories he raced in. Formula BMW, Formula 3 Series, GP2, the folkloristic A1 Grand Prix. All championships won, to which we must add the great success obtained at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015. aboard a Porsche 919 Hybrid.
Perhaps, however, it is wrong to judge the commitment of a driver, especially in Formula 1, based only on the number of trophies raised. Also because, if that were the case, Hulkenberg should not even be present in the Circus anymore. But this is probably the problem of men, always ready to measure and label, not taking into account what can hardly be contained in a showcase: passion, the desire to improve and the tenacity to never give up. Hulkenberg is all these things, to which is added the fact that he has always proven to be a solid, consistent and very fast driver in qualifying, with a precise driving style and little accustomed to mistakes.
Audi finally arrives: a well-deserved great opportunity
Luckily, however, despite her being precious in silence, she has noticed her qualities. Audi, who signed him in 2026, after a year of purgatory aboard Sauber. In fact, 2025 will probably be yet another complicated year for Hulkenberg, in the hope that Audi will show up on the grid with a competitive enough car. It won't be easy, of course, but the unknown due to the new regulations, added to the significant investments and the great experience in the racing field offered by the German brand, will certainly be a great opportunity to show everyone, once again, what he is made of.
In the meantime, however, let's enjoy Hulkenberg's performances on his Haas, which seems to have improved compared to last year, although it remains less competitive on race pace than on a flying lap in qualifying. Let's enjoy them without dwelling on his past and his empty trophy cabinet. In fact, everyone has their battles: Verstappen against Norris, Norris against Leclerc and Hulkenberg against everyone, without fear. Because even if he is not often seen, even if he is not fighting for important placings, we will always have the certainty that Nico will take to the track to do his best and beyond. For this reason, it will be nice to continue to see him drive, because the battles of the others, even if different, are no less valuable than those that are most brought under the spotlight. In Formula 1, in history, in life.
