Nico Hulkenberg, the 36-year-old German driver, isn’t mincing his words or wasting time on what-ifs as he approaches his 200th Formula 1 race start this weekend in Mexico. Having spent his career with mid-field teams like Williams, Force India, Sauber, and Renault, and after a forced hiatus, Hulkenberg made his way back to the grid this year with Haas. Now, there’s chatter about him possibly joining Sauber again for the Audi project. Yet, the dream of clinching a world championship with a top team seems to be slipping away.
“Formula 1 is a lot about timing, and it just never worked out for me with a top team,” Hulkenberg shared candidly with SID news agency, acknowledging the brutal realities of the sport. “I think there are certain time windows in every career in which things have to happen. Unfortunately, something always came up for me, but I was still able to make a good, long career out of it.”
Hulkenberg’s career has had its near misses, notably with Ferrari in 2013 and Red Bull in 2020. “2020 wasn’t really close,” he admits. “It was very loose contact and it felt that way to me. In 2013 it was much, much closer – but unfortunately that’s also over. Unfortunately, in the end, they decided differently.”
Rather than dwell on missed opportunities, Hulkenberg chooses to focus on the present. “If you did that, you’d be in a bad mood all the time. So I’d rather not do that,” he says, emphasizing the importance of making the most out of current circumstances. “I’ve been having a lot of fun since my comeback, I’m experiencing the whole thing more consciously, I’m enjoying this life as a Formula 1 driver more. It feels good, even though we would of course like to be better on the sporting side.”
Surprisingly, Hulkenberg has now outlasted F1 legends Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, and Nigel Mansell in terms of career longevity, though he acknowledges the different eras. “But nonetheless, it’s a pretty impressive achievement. For me, 200 races simply means that I haven’t done too badly so far.”
