He is the newcomer to the Haas cockpit: Nico Hülkenberg. He has little sympathy for Mick Schumacher.Image: IMAGO / North Photo
formula 1
For veteran Nico Hülkenberg, the time in the second row is over. He will replace Mick Schumacher at Haas in 2023. The racing team decides for experience and against youth. But that makes Hülkenberg the last remaining German regular driver in Formula 1.
Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, is switching to Mercedes as a reserve driver. So takes on the role that Hülkenberg previously held at Aston Martin and Mercedes and Haas after the end of his engagement at Renault.
The 35-year-old was a sought-after jumper in Formula 1, did his job in the background and stood in the back for three years. However, he continued to maintain excellent contacts, including with team boss Günther Steiner and owner Gene Haas. At the end of 2022, they then decided on Hülkenberg instead of Schumacher.
Now Hulkenberg reveals how the relationship between the two is.
There was radio silence between Hülkenberg and Schumacher
For weeks, the rumor persisted that Hulkenberg could be the favorite for the last remaining Formula 1 cockpit. However, the final decision made a bang. Some still hoped that Schumacher would remain number 1 in the Haas cockpit. The 23-year-old did not score enough with his performance and caused high costs with a few crashes. Team boss Steiner judged afterwards: “We had to carry Mick”.
Hülkenberg told RTL/ntv that although he was in contact with Haas, he did not have any direct contact with Schumacher after the Haas decision. “We haven’t spoken to each other since then. We never really exchanged views before that either.”
Mick Schumacher (left, Haas) and Nico Hülkenberg (right, Aston Martin) usually only met on the track, like here in Bahrain in March.Image: IMAGO / HochZwei
Schumacher and he would only know each other “from the small talk at driver parades”. But Hulkenberg also notes:
“Mick is also a different generation. We never really had a relationship, something like him with Sebastian [Vettel, Anm.d.Red.] Has. The story is what it is now. If it hadn’t been me, it might have been someone else.”
Nico Hulkenberg is the “Last Man Standing for Germany”
The premier class of motorsport is based on the principle of performance. This is also emphasized by the 35-year-old new Haas pilot:
“In F1 it’s about performance. If you convince and perform, you have a job, you’re a hot stock. If you don’t perform, it’s over very quickly.”
For Mick Schumacher, Haas is now over. In 2023 he will continue as a test driver at Mercedes. According to a statement from his new team, he will also be involved in the development of the new W14 racing car, which is to be used in the 2023 season. He has impressed in the past with his technical feedback and work ethic.
Nico Hülkenberg, on the other hand, was such a “hot stock” on the driver market. And now he is the last German. Since 1993, only one German has been represented in Formula 1 for the first time. At that time, Michael Schumacher was alone. Heinz-Harald Frentzen only joined the company a year later.
“I’m still the old Nico Hulkenberg from Emmerich am Rhein, nothing has and will change there. But Last Man Standing for Germany sounds pretty good!“, finds Hulkenberg.
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