F1 News
Hulkenberg sees striking similar trait in Verstappen: 'Got it myself'
- Corwin Kunst
Nico Hülkenberg sees himself as a versatile driver and does not believe that performance in Formula 1 depends purely on the rules or the generation of cars someone drives. For him, it is mainly about feeling and confidence in the car, he explains. He thinks Max Verstappen is someone who adapts to every situation effortlessly. "I have the same feeling with myself," he says.
Does Hulkenberg feel that the current generation of cars suits him better than the cars driven before 2022? "No, I don't see it that way," the German told Motorsport-Total.com. Indeed, the German medium noted that Lewis Hamilton once said that ground-effect cars do not really suit him, while Daniel Ricciardo failed to perform up to his own standards - and Red Bull's as well - in recent seasons.
Hulkenberg does not give credit to that thought."I think it has more to do with how you feel as a driver, how your confidence is. At the end of the day, it's about the feeling you have in the car, or that's just not there. If there is one per cent missing somewhere, there is an immediate problem. You then see that reflected in the lap times and on the stopwatch."
Verstappen an exception to the rule
According to Hülkenberg, feeling the car is important, but there are exceptions. "There are also drivers like Max [Verstappen]. He always performs, regardless of the car generation, under any conditions or with any rules. I have the same feeling with myself. Of course I have had my ups and downs, for example with the old cars. With Renault it didn't go so well, but that was due to different circumstances. As I said, it's more about the feeling and where you are at that moment."
For the driver who will race for Sauber in 2025, the ability to adapt is essential in Formula 1. "The rules and cars change every five or six years. As a driver, you have to adapt and relearn. Because if you are only good with a certain type of car and don't develop or adapt, you have a relatively short lifespan in Formula 1. Therefore, I don't believe this argument [about the type of car] is correct."
This article has been written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica
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