For his return to F1, Nico Hülkenberg was much better than his teammate

Nico Hülkenberg has confirmed his return to Formula 1. The German driver had left the sport at the end of the 2019 season, where he was with Renault and gave up his seat to Frenchman Esteban Ocon. In the meantime, driver number 27 participated in four Grand Prix races, replacing Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll at Racing Point in 2020, and then Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin in 2022. These drivers had tested positive for Covid-19.

After his three almost fruitless seasons, Hülkenberg returned to Formula 1 with the Haas team. The team principal, Günther Steiner, wanted to have a second experienced driver to replace Mick Schumacher, whose frequent crashes were costing the financially-strapped American team too much money.

Better statistics than those of Kevin Magnussen

If Haas’ season is bad with a tenth place and last place in the constructor standings, with 12 points compared to 37 last year, the German can be satisfied with having been better than his teammate Kevin Magnussen.

He finished with nine points, compared to three for the Dane, six of them were scored in the Australian Grand Prix, on April 2nd, with his seventh place. He also outqualified his teammate 15 times out of the 22 races of the season. The score rises to 18-8 in favor of the German when taking into account the Shootouts.

Hülkenberg has also qualified in Q3 nine times, including a second place at the Canadian Grand Prix, but he started fifth due to impeding another driver during the session. Magnussen has only reached Q3 three times, but has entered the top 10 three times, at the Saudi Arabian, Miami, and Singapore Grand Prix.