“The biggest achievement in my career was to make it into F1” – Nico Hulkenberg retrospects his racing career while looking forward to his future
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Nico Hulkenberg is optimistic about his future prospects
Nico Hulkenberg was once considered a future Formula 1 world champion due to his speed and consistency. Things did not pan out that way, with the German holding an unwanted record for the most races without a podium finish in F1.
He is currently serving as the Reserve driver for the Aston Martin F1 team, acting as the “Super Sub” when the team needs a last-minute replacement like during the first two rounds of the 2022 season, where Hulkenberg subbed in for a Covid-infected Sebastian Vettel.
Nico started his F1 career at Williams for the 2010 season, with the 35-year-old securing his maiden pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix. For his second season, he switched to the Force India team where he missed out on a potential race win due to an incident with Lewis Hamilton in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. Losing out on opportunities would become a pattern in his career.
In his subsequent days at Sauber, Force India and the Renault works team, Hulkenberg would come to be known as a solid midfielder who can score points on a regular basis. However, he struggled to match teammate Sergio Perez for the three years they spent together at Force India. And by the end of the 2019 season, The German was forced out of the grid.
Nico Hulkenberg on karting and Sebastian Vettel
In a Sponsored video for Aston Martin, Hulkenberg opens up about various aspects of his life. Starting from his karting days, which he took up at the age of 8 years old when he was introduced to go-karts by his family friends. Nico exclaimed, “And from that moment, I fell in love with racing.” Ever since the German started racing, he set his sight on Formula 1.
The Aston Martin reserve also discussed how he met his fellow German driver, Sebastian Vettel in the karting circuit when the duo were in their early teen years. He expressed his respect towards the four-time world champion and his family, while also pointing out Vettel’s early switch to formula racing.
“I can fall back and count on 10 years of F1 experience” – Nico Hulkenberg
Nico has been nicknamed the Super Sub, after his great drivers while filling in last minute for the Silverstone-based team. On the most recent occasion when the German replaced Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, he mentions, “I can fall back and count on 10 years of F1 experience” thus helping him get positive results and make memories for himself and the team.
He expressed his gratitude to be able to have a 10-year-long career in the pinnacle of motorsport, admitting the difficulty phased by all drivers who do not have solid financial backing. Nico talked about reaching his dream and said, “The biggest achievement in my career was to make it into Formula One.” An achievement he will always be proud of.
A new chapter in the life of Nico Hulkenberg
The German mentioned his love for his family, especially his nine-month-old daughter, calling her the biggest achievement of his life outside his career. Talking about his future. The 35-year-old looks forward to deciding on whether he’d be racing for the next couple of years. In the long term, the former Le Mans winner hopes to transition towards a Managerial role.
Hulkenberg discussed his new interests in micro-mobility and his involvement as an owner of an electric scooter racing team. He indicated towards his focus was set on this uncharted territory, for the first time not driving but owning a racing team. The German driver is rumored to be joining the Haas F1 team in 2023, but even if Nico fails to get back into Formula 1, his future is definitely something to keep an eye on.
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