Nico Hülkenberg's performance in the Spanish Grand Prix it affected everyone in the Circus of the Formula 1, as it has struck anyone who has decided to field the German in their Fantasy F1 team. The question everyone is now asking is: Was this an isolated exploit or the beginning of a growth by Stake that will continue in the next races?
Hulkenberg's feat in the Spanish GP
First of all, let's retrace what happened in Barcelona. Sauber had said confident regarding the race given themajor update package taken to Montmelò. However, in qualifying, Hülkenberg had struggled, arriving only 16th and therefore bringing 0 points in the Fanta F1. His teammate Gabriel Bortoleto instead had classified in an excellent P12.
This early exit later proved to be an advantage in the race for the 37-year-old, who was able to fit a new soft tyre for the final laps after the Safety Car. This, combined with agreat start, great pit stops and a finally performing car, led him to obtain an incredible sixth position. Sixth position obtained on the track, which then transformed into fifth with the penalty to Max Verstappen. Hülkenberg brought 25 points in the F1 Fantasy: A performance of a true top pilot despite the low cost. The fantasy managers who had him on their team were certainly able to get great satisfaction.
The twelfth position of Bortoleto, never so close to the points zone, is a demonstration of the improvement of the car. In Spain Stake was certainly not the team we were used to seeing at the back of the grid, but rather It proved to be one of the mid-table forces.
Sauber hasn't achieved such a result since 2022, when in the Imola GP Valtteri Bottas obtained the fifth position, in a car that was still under the name of Alfa Romeo. To find the last position in Nico Hulkenberg's Top 5 instead we need to go even further back, more precisely in 2019. In the Monza GP, when he was still racing for Renault, he finished in fifth position.
Situation at Fanta F1
Going back to Hülkenberg's 2025 and focusing on Fanta F1, the German's season would seem to be taking a turn for the better. interesting twist. It is now located eleventh in the drivers' standings, while Stake leaves last place overtaking Aston Martin and Alpine, thus rising to eighth place. The Hinwil-based team is relaunching its ambitions for the summer races and the rest of the season.
This momentum is also reflected in the prices: Hülkenberg's cost to Fanta F1 has in fact risen to 12 Yaw. Despite the increase in value, the German is now among the the most interesting low-cost pilots to have in your team. Obviously repeating the fifth place obtained in the last race weekend will be an almost impossible feat. But if the C45 confirms itself as the reliable, stable and fast machine seen in Spain, Hülkenberg and, why not, also Bortoleto are among the pilots who can fight for the points zone at every GP. Fantasy managers will therefore have to evaluate whether to bet on "Nico" from the next Grand Prix. It will be important to understand if it was a flash in the pan or something more, but be careful, its cost could increase even further! And at the Canadian GP did you have him in your team? We told you so, eh!
