Hulkenberg Seals F1 Return By Joining Haas For 2023

Nico Hulkenberg, signed by Haas to replace Mick Schumacher, will return to the Formula 1 grid next year.

Haas made the announcement on Tuesday ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, shortly after Schumacher confirmed he would not return to drive for the team next year. Hulkenberg completes the 2023 line-up with Kevin Magnussen.

Hulkenberg completed the full 2019 F1 season at Renault, now Alpine. He has since been a reserve driver for Aston Martin (formerly Racing Points) and has been called up to race five times in the past three seasons. He will make his Haas debut in a postseason test at Yas Marina on Tuesday.

“I feel like I never left Formula 1,” said Hulkenberg, 35. “I am very happy to have the opportunity to do what I love so much and I want to thank Gene Haas and Günter Steiner for believing in me.

“We have work ahead of us to compete with all the teams in midfield and I can’t wait to join that battle.”

Hülkenberg has yet to reach the podium in his 181-race F1 career, but he has trunk space and two fastest laps in midfield machinery. He took the overall victory with Porsche at the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.

“I am naturally delighted to welcome Nico Hulkenberg into a full-time racing role in Formula 1,” said Haas Team Principal Guenter Steiner.

“The base of experience and knowledge that Nico brings to the team is clear – almost 200 career starts in Formula 1 – and he is a very competent and strong, reliable racer. These qualities, combined with Kevin Magnussen’s experience, are a very credible and well-rounded experience that we believe will help push the team to the grid.” They will provide us with the available driver lineup.

Nico’s motivation for returning to Formula 1 is clear – he shares our vision and, together with the rest of the team, can be a key player in recovering the foundations we have laid this year. to point war”.

It will be Hulkenberg’s third stint as a full-time F1 driver. In the year He joined F1 with Williams in 2010 but at the end of the season, the team brought in the cashed-up Pastor Maldonado and lost a seat despite an impressive pole position at Interlagos. A year later, reserve driver for Power India (now Aston Martin) Hulkenberg was promoted to the 2012 race line-up.

After an unsuccessful one-year stint at Sauber, Hulkenberg was forced back to India and remained with the team until the opportunity to join Renault presented itself in 2017.

Ferrari are eyeing reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi with engine customer Haas for 2023 to replace underperforming Ferrari junior Schumacher. However, a crash driving one of Haas’s cars in free practice at last month’s United States Grand Prix did him no good.

Another driver angling for the seat is Robert Schwartzman, also a Ferrari junior and tester and last year’s Formula 2 runner-up. However, the Israeli-licensed Russian recently admitted that his dream of breaking into F1 may not come true.

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