Nico Hulkenberg Reveals Impact Of Rookie F1 Driver Influx

Saajan Jogia | 12 Hours Ago

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Moneygram Haas F1 Team driver Nico Hulkenberg (27) of Team Germany walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who joins the Sauber F1 team next year alongside rookie driver Gabriel Bortoleto, revealed the impact of the influx of rookie drivers into the sport. Formula 1 will field six rookie drivers in 2025, an event that the 37-year-old Hulkenberg believes is a "normal" progression in the sport.

The German driver began his Formula 1 journey with Williams in 2010, followed by a one-year break in 2011, and returned to the grid with Force India in 2012. He later joined Renault in 2016, where he competed until 2019. Following a stint as a reserve driver for Aston Martin, his impressive performances earned him a full-time seat at Haas in 2022.

In 2025, Hulkenberg will leave the American team to join the Hinwil outfit on a multi-year contract, with the team set to transition to Audi ownership in 2026. At 37, he has defied the conventional belief that Formula 1 drivers lose their edge with age. He has emphasized that he will remain committed to the sport as long as he remains quick and can challenge drivers of all age groups. Unbothered by the rising wave of talented rookies, Hulkenberg is confident in his skills and is ready to compete against the next generation of drivers. He told RacingNews365:

"I'm not too busy about it, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

"Look, I think F1 is a very simple business, it's very performance orientated.

"If you perform, you're attractive, you're sexy, and you're wanted by teams. It's as simple as that, and I've been on both sides. 

"I've been on the side when it's not good enough and they don't want you anymore, and I've been now fortunate enough to be on the good side of things because I keep performing."

He added:

"I'm enjoying myself, I'm having a good time, so I make the most of it.

"For me, it's important as long as I feel that I'm quick enough that I can challenge and beat the young guys and contribute for a team. 

"As long as that's the case, I think I will have a job and I will be here. Personally, when I feel I don't have what it takes anymore, I would probably be the first one to admit that and then to walk away."

Hulkenberg admitted that the inflow of young drivers into teams is not an unusual occurrence in F1. He explained:

"I think it's not all of a sudden, it's normal.

"I mean, it's life. People grow older, the next generation comes, you know? 

"And sometimes there's a change of guard. I think over the last, I don't know, five, six years, we had more kind of experience [on the grid] and a little bit older drivers.

"Now, it's a shift towards towards younger drivers. I think that happens every I don't know, five to 10 years, and I think it's quite natural."