Few F1 luminaries know Nico Hulkenberg the way Mark Slade knows him – and in this video Mark explains why Nico is the perfect driver for the Audi Revolut F1 team. A Le Mans winner (in 2015 with Porsche) who seized his first F1 pole (with Williams-Cosworth) in 2010, Nico – through never having had a real chance with a top team – was obliged to wait until Silverstone last year to achieve his first F1 podium finish. Now he’s potentially on a high – at the ground roots of the Audi re-launch at Sauber.
Mark Slade, who worked with Nico at Renault from 2017-19, has also race engineered drivers at McLaren, Mercedes and Haas. He has played a major role in two World Championships, 34 GP wins, 101 podiums and 40 pole positions.
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10 Comments
Hulk always been a solid talent. Komatsu spoke as highly of him as well, saying he really wanted to keep Nico on the team because of how good his feedback was.
Le Mans winner, F1 pole, and still somehow treated like a "what if". Great to hear from someone who worked with him day-to-day.
If the Hulk was good enough for the Ron , he's definitely on the ball ❤
Audi & Cadillac both knew exactly the type of drivers they needed to initiate their efforts, Aston & Ferrari leading with experience too.
I remember hearing about Nico in the junior categories when he won the GP2 championship in his rookie year, only the 3rd driver after Hamilton and Rosberg to win the GP2 championship in their rookie year. He was extremely impressive and was being talked about highly as the next F1 prospect to possibly go very far in F1.
I've always enjoyed hearing him being interviewed, you can tell he's a smart, articulate and level headed driver whose only interested in extracting the most from himself, the car and the team. I'm looking forward to seeing how well he does in the Audi this year.
An unsung top shelf driver who never had good fortune go his way. I have always rated Nico very very highly.
People don't understand how dominant he was as a junior 20 years ago, no one could touch him, never had a good car or the #1 status he deserved. He was to replace Schumacher until Lauda ruined it by getting Hamilton .
Always rated Nico so highly and it’s a pity the fair weight rule wasn’t introduced at the start of the heavy hybrid era as I think a top team move would have happened for him.
Hulk and JEV got dealt the bad storylines
The modern day Heidfeld