![]() Grabbing his opportunities with both hands While not as headline-grabbing as his previous appearances for Racing Point, given Aston Martin’s struggles to adapt to the new regulations, Hulkenberg more than held his own alongside regular driver Stroll after a year and a half on the sidelines. Hulkenberg would sign for the rebranded Aston Martin as their reserve driver in 2021 and, a year later, his services were called on as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel – like Perez and Stroll, sidelined by COVID-19 – at the opening two rounds of the 2022 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. GALLERY: Have a look at the F1 drivers’ 2023 helmets – including Esteban Ocon’s ‘dark mode’ designįirst there was a stand-in run for the unwell Sergio Perez at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020, which yielded a stunning third on the grid and a solid haul of points, then a top 10 finish at that year’s Eifel Grand Prix in the other Racing Point machine usually occupied by Lance Stroll. ![]() Then I had a clear intention, a clear plan that I wanted to pursue the opportunity of having a race seat again.” From the sidelines to making headlinesĪs touched on, Hulkenberg’s return was aided by his so-called ‘Hulken-back’ super-sub outings. “In 2022, so let’s say more or less 12 months ago, 10 months ago, that feeling of wanting to be in the driving seat again came back very strong. Then suddenly, in 2021, there were weeks when it was harder to stand on the sidelines and watch drivers go out of the garage. ![]() “Right at the beginning, in 2020, it was kind of… I wanted some time away, I needed some time away, so at that point I was pretty relaxed. Smiling as he recalls several key moments along the four-year timeline between leaving the sport and making his comeback, Hulkenberg says: “Yeah, there were certainly… that feeling is a bit in waves some weeks it was more, some weeks it was less. READ MORE: From childhood number plates to football heroes – Why each driver picked their F1 race number The break came at a good time for Hulkenberg, who had just experienced “a tough year sporting-wise” added to “some things that happened with the team”, but as he openly admits, it did not take long for the urge to step back into an F1 cockpit to return… Indeed, Hulkenberg’s raw pace was all the more impressive given that aside from a few substitute performances (more on those shortly), the 2023 season marks his first full-time campaign since 2019 – the final year of the German’s stint with Renault before being swapped out in favour of the aforementioned Ocon. Hulkenberg’s positive early feelings at Haas – and aboard the team’s 2023 challenger – were evident exactly one week later when he built on some eye-catching practice runs ( running as high as fifth on Friday) to light up the Bahrain International Circuit en route to the top 10 shootout in qualifying, while team mate and recent pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen dropped out in Q1.Īn unfortunate first-lap tangle with Alpine rival Esteban Ocon effectively ended his hopes of a points-scoring return on race day, but if there were any doubts over Hulkenberg’s talent – or questions about him potentially losing his edge after some time off – those were put to bed at the first Grand Prix weekend of the year. READ MORE: ‘Proud’ Hulkenberg admits it was ‘not a no-brainer’ for Haas to give him a seat for 2023 after 3 years out Obviously lots of exciting stuff happened, but with a new team the first few races are always like you’re in a new relationship, like in the honeymoon phase – so it’s all good.” ![]() “This is only the beginning, this is kind of ‘first week at school’, if you like. I have to say, again, it wasn’t a given, but I think I’ve stepped in with quite a good level already and evolved that quite nicely. For me, it’s about the feeling you have in the car, and how confident you feel with the car.
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