Nicolas Hulkenberg, born August 19th 1987, is a German driver competing in Formula One for the Haas F1 team. After entering the sport in 2010, he found himself without a permanent race seat in 2020 and it looked like his career might be over, but he was brought back by the Racing Point team (now Aston Martin) to serve as a reserve driver. He ended up driving for Sergio Perez twice and once for Lance Stroll that year due to Covid related illnesses. Aston Martin retained his services as a reserve and development driver for 2021 and 2022, leading to his eventual comeback with Haas in 2023. Hulkenberg got his start in F1 with the Williams team after winning the GP2 series in his rookie year and becoming the third driver to do so, after Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. He also became the the second, after Hamilton, to win the GP3 title and GP2 title in consecutive years. Unfortunately, he has spent his F1 career driving cars that are often only capable of competing in the mid-pack, and he holds the record for most starts without a podium finish. He has come close, but ultimately his highest race finish has only been fourth. He has, however, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He did so in 2015, on his first attempt, in a Porsche 919 Hybrid. His team finished one lap ahead of the second place finishers, who were also driving a 919 Hybrid Porsche, one of the three that Porsche entered that year. The win was Porsche’s first overall victory in the event since 1998 and it was the first time an active Formula One driver won the race since Johnny Herbert in 1991. Since his career began in 2010, Hulkenberg has driven for Williams, Sauber, Renault, Force India, Racing Point, Aston Martin and now Haas. Despite his record in F1 he has a reputation as being highly skilled, extremely fast and easy to work with.
Nico was born in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany to Dieter and Susanne Hulkenberg. He discovered karting at the age of 7 when he went with some friends of the family to watch their son race. Nico was really impressed and knew he had to try it, so his dad took him to the track the next day and, as you would expect, he was fast right away. He had a big smile on his face and so did his father, Dieter, who had been a racing fan since he was a kid himself. In 1997, at the age of 10, Nico began competing in karts, eventually becoming the German Junior Karting Champion in 2002 and overall German Karting Champion the following year. Initially, Nico’s father and grandfather were able to support his racing with the help of a small shipping company they owned, but as time went on and the expenses grew, more and more sponsors began to show interest and help cover costs. By 2005, Nico was competing in single-seaters, winning the Formula BMW ADAC Series his first year, and continuing on to win the A1 Grand Prix Series, the GP3 series and the GP2 series before signing with Williams F1 in 2010.
Nico Hulkenberg, also known as “The Hulk”, currently lives in Monaco with his wife, Lithuanian fashion designer, Egle Ruskyte, and their baby daughter, Noemi Sky. When he left Formula One in 2019 Nico didn’t know if he would ever be back with a full-time race seat, so he had to make his peace with it. He’s made enough money in his career to live comfortably in Monaco and can sometimes be seen cruising the countryside in the south of France in a classic from his car collection. It’s a life of luxury, a life that most F1 drivers can afford but never slow down enough to enjoy. Older and wiser now, Hulkenberg has had the opportunity to build a life outside of F1. While he’s excited to be back on the grid, he’s in a car that has been running towards the back of the grid for several year now. Hulkenberg, however, is famous for squeezing performance out of mediocre cars, and he did not disappoint in 2023. By investing in Hulkenberg Haas is betting that he can help them develop the car into something more competitive. If he can deliver, The Hulk should be around for a few more years and will hopefully be able to claim a more than well-deserved first podium. Welcome back Nico!