Few drivers can boast of a career in Formula 1 as diverse as Nico Hulkenberg’s. While Hulkenberg may not have raced for a top-flight team, he has mostly stayed in mid-table teams. Despite faring well at almost every team he’s raced for, he’s been shown the exit door almost unfairly most of the time.

The problem with consistency in Formula 1 is that it makes you look boring. That is exactly the syndrome Nico Hulkenberg has suffered from in his entire career. Now that going to replace Mick Schumacher at Haas next season, the infamous tag has returned to haunt him.

Is Haas’ decision to go with Nico Hulkenberg really a step backward?

After two years of underwhelming performances and the wrecking of cars, Haas has finally shown Mick Schumacher the exit door. Ever since the news broke, fans did not take well to it. Moreover, the man set to replace Mick, Nico Hulkenberg, is being subjected to some undue criticism.

Nico Hulkenberg may not be the fastest driver on the grid, but he is reliable. Hulkenberg brings in a ton of experience and consistency with him, which is exactly what Haas needs. They need a driver who can score enough points to keep them afloat in the mid-table, and not crash the car too often. While Nico has time and again delivered on both those fronts with different teams, he hasn’t had the best of luck.

Trending

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

Adrian Newey Hits Out at Climate Activist Lewis Hamilton’s Fuel Protest, Desperate to See V10 Engines Again

April 15, 2024 12:35 PM EDT

Who are Zhou Guanyu’s Parents? Everything We Know About The Chinese Driver’s Family

April 16, 2024 02:07 PM EDT

“I Was Quite Depressed”: Adrian Newey Makes Brutal Revelation as He Reveals Red Bull Heavily “Struggling”

April 15, 2024 02:38 PM EDT

New Pet Parent Charles Leclerc Reveals Leo Duty Split With GF Alexandra Saint Mleux

April 18, 2024 03:55 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“It’s a Real Shame”: Mick Schumacher Breaks Hearts With Salty Goodbye to F1 Grid as Haas Finally Shuts the Door on Schumacher Name

Nico started out in F1 with Williams in 2010. In his rookie season, he surprised everyone when he secured the team’s first pole position in 5 years. The feat was however insufficient for him to keep the seat next season. After spending a season as a reserve driver at Force India, Nico got a promotion to race as a regular in 2012. It was an impressive season for the German as he finished 11th in the drivers’ standings 3 places ahead of his teammate Paul di Resta and 2 places ahead of F1 legend Michael Schumacher.

An illustrious career marred by some bad luck

Apparently, beating Michael Schumacher wasn’t enough for Nico to keep his seat next year. The following year (2013), Hulkenberg, racing for Sauber, finished in 10th, ahead of both Force India drivers, and outperformed his teammate Esteban Gutierrez by a whopping 45 points. Nico bagged 51 points while his teammate could only manage 6.

In 2014, Nico returned to Force India, racing alongside current Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. He outperformed Checo as well, finishing the season 9th with 96 points. In the following two years, Checo fared better than his German teammate, which made the team replace Nico with young Esteban Ocon.

In 2017, Hulkenberg raced for Renault alongside Carlos Sainz. He beat his Spanish teammate in the points tally in 2018. An underwhelming 2019 season saw him bow out of the regular drivers’ list.

Watch This Story: Biggest Pitlane Mishaps Featuring Hamilton, Raikkonen & Verstappen

Hulkenberg has waited two years for his luck to shine. Do you think he will return to his consistent self next year for Haas? Or has warming the bench for 2 years made him rusty?