Latest news with #Hulkenberg
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
F1 star overshadowed by Max Verstappen did something not seen in six years
The controversy created by Max Verstappen when he slammed into George Russell late in the Spanish Grand Prix overshadowed an extraordinary achievement by Nico Hulkenberg Max Verstappen was named Driver of the Day by Formula 1 fans at the Spanish Grand Prix – though the outcome of that poll may have been very different if only the votes cast after the Dutchman slammed into George Russell, seemingly on purpose, counted. And, in any case, the final classification makes it clear that one driver's extraordinary performance and result was unfairly overlooked. Because in fifth place – nosebleed territory for a Sauber team which has struggled to make an impression in recent years – was Nico Hulkenberg. He finished sixth on the road but, because Verstappen dropped down to 10th because of a penalty for his moment of madness, was promoted to fifth place. The last time the German finished a race that high, the year was 2019 and he was driving for Renault at the Italian Grand Prix. It was also a landmark moment for the team, who haven't had anyone finish that high in a race since the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, when Valtteri Bottas managed it. The 10 points Hulkenberg scored on Sunday lifted Sauber off the foot of the constructors' standings to eighth place, level with Aston Martin. And Hulkenberg managed it despite an unspectacular qualifying result which meant he started 15th on the grid. But he got off to a stunning start by rising five positions on the opening lap, which put him in points contention. He had been one of a few drivers who saved an extra set of soft compound tyres for the race, compromising his qualifying efforts as a result. But the gamble paid off as a late safety car gave him the opportunity to put on a new set of softs for the six-lap sprint to the chequered flag. READ MORE: Max Verstappen is extraordinary and infuriating in equal measure – we've seen this before Hulkenberg said: "It was one of those Sundays where everything came together really well. Right from the beginning, we were in the mix – a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. "Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The safety car mixed things up a bit, and having those fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket. There was a significant delta between used and new tyres today, so that really paid off." Rookie team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto did not score points but looked strong, qualifying 12th in an upgraded Sauber C45. The team introduced a raft of upgrades in Barcelona which, based on the evidence they collected during the race, look to have given them a more competitive race car. Hulkenberg added: "The car felt good all weekend, and the updates clearly gave us a step forward in performance. We had strong pace throughout the race. Credits to the whole team, both at the factory and trackside, for the hard work on the upgrades."
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Sauber's season turns a corner with Hulkenberg's top-five drive
Nico Hulkenberg lifted Sauber off the bottom of the Formula One standings with a fifth place at the Spanish Grand Prix for the future Audi team. Sunday's result, in a car with upgrades, was Swiss-based Sauber's best in three years and they left the Circuit de Catalunya eighth overall and ahead of Aston Martin and Renault-owned Alpine. They had not scored points since Hulkenberg was seventh in the Australian season-opener in March. "It was one of those Sundays where everything came together well," said Hulkenberg, who passed Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton for fifth. "Right from the beginning, we were in the mix. A strong start, a clean first lap and we were immediately able to fight for points. "Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The safety car mixed things up a bit, and having the fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket." Hulkenberg has scored all of Sauber's points this season with Brazilian rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished 12th, yet to open his account in nine starts. Sauber, who become the Audi factory team next year, are level on 16 points with Aston Martin but ahead on placings. Alpine are last and five further adrift.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Hulkenberg's fine fifth lifts Sauber off the bottom
BARCELONA - Nico Hulkenberg lifted Sauber off the bottom of the Formula One standings with a fifth place at the Spanish Grand Prix for the future Audi team. Sunday's result, in a car with upgrades, was Swiss-based Sauber's best in three years and they left the Circuit de Catalunya eighth overall and ahead of Aston Martin and Renault-owned Alpine. They had not scored points since Hulkenberg was seventh in the Australian season-opener in March. "It was one of those Sundays where everything came together really well," said Hulkenberg, who passed Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton for fifth. "Right from the beginning, we were in the mix; a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. "Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The safety car mixed things up a bit, and having those fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket." Hulkenberg has scored all of Sauber's points this season with Brazilian rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished 12th, yet to open his account in nine starts. Sauber, who become the Audi factory team next year, are level on 16 points with Aston Martin but ahead on placings. Alpine are last and five further adrift. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Motor racing-Hulkenberg's fine fifth lifts Sauber off the bottom
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 23, 2025 Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg during practice REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File photo BARCELONA (Reuters) - Nico Hulkenberg lifted Sauber off the bottom of the Formula One standings with a fifth place at the Spanish Grand Prix for the future Audi team. Sunday's result, in a car with upgrades, was Swiss-based Sauber's best in three years and they left the Circuit de Catalunya eighth overall and ahead of Aston Martin and Renault-owned Alpine. They had not scored points since Hulkenberg was seventh in the Australian season-opener in March. "It was one of those Sundays where everything came together really well," said Hulkenberg, who passed Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton for fifth. "Right from the beginning, we were in the mix; a strong start, a clean first lap, and we were immediately able to fight for points. "Ironically, not having the best Saturday and saving a set of softs gave us a strategic edge with the tyre allocation. The safety car mixed things up a bit, and having those fresh compounds turned out to be a golden ticket." Hulkenberg has scored all of Sauber's points this season with Brazilian rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished 12th, yet to open his account in nine starts. Sauber, who become the Audi factory team next year, are level on 16 points with Aston Martin but ahead on placings. Alpine are last and five further adrift. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mercedes Drivers Hit With One-Place Grid Penalties for Rules Breach, Ferrari's Leclerc Elevated to Front Row
George Russell loses his front row starting spot in the Bahrain Grand Prix after the FIA decided a grid-place penalty was in order for both Mercedes drivers for entering the fast lane on the pit lane before a re-start time was confirmed. With 11 minutes remaining in Q2, Mercedes' Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin explained to the Race Director that he released his drivers too early, having misinterpreted a message giving the "estimated re-start time" as the scheduled re-start time. This restart classification was something covered explicitly in a pre-weekend weekend that was missed by Mercedes' Sporting Director, Ron Meadows. Mercedes' citation reads, "The FIA Single Seater Sporting Director stated that such a move could be a sporting advantage in that it could enable a team to perform its run plan, whereas other teams may not be able to. The Stewards agree with this view, particularly where there are only a few minutes remaining in the session. The FIA Sporting Director argued that there needed to be a sporting penalty rather than a team fine, otherwise in future teams would release their cars as soon as the estimated re-start time was published. The Stewards agree with this view." To try and curtail teams using this to their advantage in the future, the FIA dropped Russell from second to third and Kimi Antonelli from fourth to fifth. With Russell's drop, Charles Leclerc gets promoted to the front row next to Oscar Piastri, and Pierre Gasly moves to fourth on the grid. Stake Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified 13th, commented on the Mercedes' early start in Q2, calling the team 'Dodgy'. "We don't have an official restart time yet," Hulkenberg's engineer radioed, "Don't go." "That's what I thought," Hulkenberg replied, "Mercedes is dodgy." "Yeah, we think they are wrong. This radio message was one of the ones reviewed in the initial intervention. After his second-place qualifying attempt, Russell told F1TV that he was happy with P2 after going into the weekend, thinking that if he were half a second behind a McLaren, he would be at best third. Russell was under the assumption, like most of the grid, that both McLarens would perform out front and the rest of the teams would be fighting for the second row, before Norris' suboptimal final qualifying lap. "I think if anyone said we would be within half a second of the McLaren, we would've taken it because we would've thought that would be P3 on the grid," Russell said. "So be second on the grid is a bonus." You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Sign in to access your portfolio
