Nico Hulkenberg Pips Blame on One Sauber Move as F1 Career Ruining

Ousted Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg has admitted that he has a few regrets in his F1 racing career. Most of those regrets stem around some questionable decisions he made during his career. While he was largely satisfied with most of his choices, one that will haunt him is a move from Force India to Sauber at the end of 2012.

For the 2013 season, the highly-rated German driver moved to the Hinwil-based squad in the wake of a single season with Force India. That year, he partnered Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez, but both drivers endured a difficult campaign. The only bright spar was that results improved in the second half of the season, particularly for Hulkenberg.

Speaking to GP Today, he admitted that making the right moves at the right time is difficult in a sport like Formula One.  According to him, such a decision is taken at least six to eight months in advance and the period after that makes it difficult to predict how things turn out.

What happened to Nico Hulkenberg After Sauber?

After a forgettable Sauber stint, Nico Hulkenberg reunited with Force India in 2014 for another three years before he was recruited into the ranks of Renault Sport F1 in 2017.

Sadly, after three mixed seasons including helping Renault secure 4th in the championship in 2018, the Hulk was dropped for the 2020 season. With this, Nico Hulkenberg becomes the one driver with the most race starts without achieving a podium finish in F1.

Speaking about his former employers, he noted that they have a tall mountain to scale with their drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon. The 32-year old also insisted that 2019 was not a setback, instead it was just a year that was understandably forgettable.

He concluded, “There is going to be an interesting challenge and time ahead for them, but I wish them luck and all the best.”