Nico Hulkenberg

At 36 years old, Nico Hulkenberg has this physical status:

Nicolas Hülkenberg (born 19 August 1987) is a German professional racing driver who last drove for the Renault F1 Team.

In 2015, he also contested two rounds of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season for Porsche, winning the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in his first attempt.

He was the 2009 champion of the GP2 Series, and is a previous champion of both the Formula 3 Euro Series and A1 Grand Prix, as part of A1 Team Germany.

He is one of 5 drivers since 2005 to win the Formula 2 (formerly GP2 series) championship in his debut season, the others being Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell.

As of September 2019, Hülkenberg holds the record for the most Formula One career starts without a podium finish, a record he broke when he failed to finish in his 129th race (the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix) and in so doing passed Adrian Sutil's previous record of 128.Hülkenberg raced in Formula One in 2010 with the Williams team.

Despite claiming the first pole position for Williams in more than five years, he was not retained for 2011 and joined Force India as a test and reserve driver.

He was promoted to a race seat with the team for the 2012 season, joining Paul di Resta.

In 2013 he drove for the Sauber team, with Mexican driver Esteban Gutiérrez as his teammate.

Hülkenberg returned to Force India for the 2014 season.

In October 2016, it was confirmed that he would switch to Renault for 2017.

He will be replaced by Esteban Ocon for the 2020 Formula One season.

Early life

Nico Hülkenberg was born in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany to Klaus Dieter and Susanne Hülkenberg. Dieter Hülkenberg owns a shipping company, Hülkenberg Spedition e. K, based in Emmerich am Rhein. Hülkenberg trained as a freight forwarding agent at his father's company. He is fluent in Dutch, German, French and English.

Personal life

Hülkenberg lives in Monaco. He is married to Lithuanian fashion designer Eglė Ruškytė, having been in a relationship with her since 2015. Together they have one daughter, Noemi Sky, born September 2021.

Source

Career

At the age of 10, Hülkenberg made his karting debut in 1997. He was the German Junior Karting Champion in 2002 and the following year he became the German Kart Championship champion.

Willi Weber, Michael Schumacher's long-time manager, had previously ruled Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg is expected to be able to compete in Formula One by 2008. He also praised Hülkenberg as a "unbelievable talent" and said he reminded him of Schumacher as a young driver. He also said he dubbed him "The Hulk," after the fictional superhero who was referring to Hülkenberg's alteration of his appearance when driving.

In 2005, Hülkenberg made his German Formula BMW debut, dominating the tournament and winning the championship comfortably. He came in first in the Formula BMW world final but was denied the victory after it was discovered that he had brake-tested his opponents during a safety car period.

Hülkenberg also participated in the German A1 Grand Prix team from 2006 to 2007. In his rookie season, he was the most popular driver in A1GP history. It meant he nearly won Germany the championship with 128 points, 35 more than Team New Zealand.

In 2006, Hülkenberg finished fifth in the German Formula Three Championship (ATS Formel 3 Cup). Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2007, the first two championships for 2007. He won again in the rain at Zandvoort and added a third at the Nürburgring for his first victory at the Norisring, who were 18th on the grid. However, he ran into difficulty at Magny-Cours after being fined twice for passing the chequered flag twice and collapsing into Filip Salaquarda in the competition, losing to Filip Salaquarda. With four victories and 72 points, Hülkenberg ended his rookie season as the 3rd in the championship.

After Grosjean stalled at the start, Hülkenberg won the non-championship Masters of Formula 3 race at Zolder from teammate (and F3 Euro Series championship champion) Romain Grosjean. In 2008, Hülkenberg became the first woman to win the Formula 3 Euro Series championship. During Saturday's feature races, he earned 76 of his total 85 points, with seven wins in the process.

Hülkenberg made his GP2 Asia Series debut for the ART Grand Prix team in Bahrain, where he claimed third place at the third round of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series, where he took pole position at his first attempt. He finished fourth in both series and this placed him in seventh place in the championship. After a solid showing, he made it to his second weekend in Qatar as the first night race pole-sitter, and then turned it into the first race winner under lights. Such was his result that he ended up over thirteen seconds behind second-placed driver Sergio Pérez. In the sprint race, he came in third, bringing his total number of points up to 27 from just four. Despite this, he came in fifth in the championship.

Hülkenberg rode in the 2009 ART Series, teaming Pastor Maldonado, and winning his first match in dominant fashion in the Nürburgring's home round. Hülkenberg finished eighth for the sprint race on the series's top-inverted grid. He won the sprint event as well, becoming the first driver to complete the weekend double-over-Gorgio Pantano at Monza in the 2006 season. He was the second driver to complete the clean sweep, with pole position, two fastest laps, and two wins; equaling Nelson Piquet Jr.'s 2006 feats. With two races to spare after a third-place finish in the Monza sprint competition, shadowing Brazilians Luiz Razia and Lucas di Grassi home. He was left with an unstoppable 22-point lead going into the final round, and in the process, he became the first driver to clinch the championship without the need for a final round decider. After Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, and second behind Hamilton to win the GP3/F3 championship and the GP2/F2 championship in successive years, he became the third rookie GP2 champion in the United States. Hülkenberg defeated the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for his fifth victory, allowing Hülkenberg to break the 100-point barrier and ultimately defeat Vitaly Petrov by 25 points. Hülkenberg finished the season 64 points ahead of his colleague Pastor Maldonado, who will later pursue his Williams race seat for the 2011 Formula One season.

In a Williams test, Hülkenberg drove a Formula One car for the first time in 2007. Willi Weber, his test's boss, had orchestrated the test after struggling to reach an agreement with Renault boss Flavio Briatore. The two-day test took place at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain, and Hülkenberg outpaced Williams' driver Kazuki Nakajima and posted lap times 0.4 seconds slower than Nico Rosberg. Hülkenberg's results at the test led to the Williams team's hiring him as a test pilot, and the Williams team continued to test in many different ways in lieu of racing in lower formulaes. Despite being barred from participating in in-season tests, Williams' test contract was extended for 2009. In the case of the regular drivers being unable to compete, Hülkenberg will also act as the team's reserve driver.

In 2010, Hülkenberg was announced to compete for Williams on November 2nd. Rubens Barrichello, Hülkenberg's first season as a teammate, was bought out by Mercedes-Benz.

Hülkenberg made his debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, bouncing from an early spin to finish in fourteenth place. He was involved in a first-lap collision with Kamui Kobayashi after the Japanese driver's front wing collapsed and led him into the door, sending him right into the path of Hülkenberg. For the first time, Hülkenberg made it to Q3 for the first time, qualifying in fifth place; out-qualifying teammate Barrichello for the first time. Hülkenberg appeared to finish eleventh in the class before Fernando Alonso blew his engine three laps from the start, promoting Hülkenberg to tenth position and gaining their first points in Formula One with the new-for-2010 points system. He was tenth at Silverstone once more, and at the Hungarian Grand Prix he came in sixth, a career record. He has also achieved top finishes in Italy, Singapore, and Korea. Vitaly Petrov, a Renault driver, misjudged a move at the start and cut across Hülkenberg's nose, effectively ending the race for them both. According to rumors, he might have lost his seat at Williams to the GP2 Series champion Pastor Maldonado due to the funds Maldonado could contribute to the team. Adrian Sutil of Force India had been asked to replace Hülkenberg at Williams.

In a rain-affected qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 6, Hülkenberg claimed his first Formula One pole position by 1.049 seconds over Sebastian Vettel. This was the Williams team's first pole position since the 2005 European Grand Prix. Hülkenberg completed a final lap after being denied pole position, extending his advantage over the rest of the field. He eventually finished in eighth position after losing the lead on the first lap after being passed by drivers in other competitive cars.

Hülkenberg will not be driving for the team in 2011 after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to team boss Frank Williams.

Hülkenberg was named Force India's reserve driver for the 2011 season on January 26, 2011, where he would drive for the team in the Friday practice sessions. Paul di Resta, who had been promoted to a race position in the team, was fired by him. In the first practice sessions of all the races other than Monaco, Hungary, Korea, India, and Abu Dhabi, Hülkenberg participated.

Force India declared di Resta and Hülkenberg as their drivers for the 2012 season on December 16, 2011. Hülkenberg finished ninth in the Australian Grand Prix, six places ahead of di Resta, but his race came to an end on the first lap after picking up damages in a first-corner crash before returning to the first round of the course. He scored his first points for Force India over the weekend, finishing in ninth place in ninth place after starting the season in sixteenth. He qualified for the Chinese Grand Prix for the sixteenth time. With a fourth finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, he reached his best Formula One finish. He had been running second in the event when he was jumped by Kimi Räikkönen during the pit stops before the faster Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel passed them both. Hülkenberg did not win any points in Italy or Singapore, but he did win all of the next five Grand Prix, except on the Yas Marina Circuit, where he was involved in a crash on the first lap and later stopped. This was the first time he had scored points in more than two races in a row.

The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix debuted in the seventh race of the season, but Hülkenberg was promoted to 6th after Pastor Maldonado was given a 10 place grid penalty. He had progressed two places by lap three, and on lap five, he defeated Fernando Alonso for third place. On lap 11, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren pitted him into second place when McLaren's Lewis Hamilton pitted in second position. To take the lead, Hülkenberg took over Jenson Button at the start of lap 19. He and Button led the lead for 45 seconds before the safety car was dispatched due to rubble on the track. After sliding at the turn of Turn 8 on lap 49, he led until he was passed by Hamilton. On lap 55, he collided with Hamilton when the rear of Hülkenberg's car slid out when attempting to pass him at Turn 1. Hamilton's last run for McLaren came to an end. Hülkenberg finished fifth after being given a drive-through penalty as a result of the event, allowing his first race victory and podium finish to be pushed through his fingers. Despite this, he gained 11th position in the Drivers' Championship from Kamui Kobayashi.

Hülkenberg finished the year 17 points ahead of his teammates Paul di Resta, and he out-qualified him 12 times to di Resta's 8.

Sauber reported on October 31, 2012, that they had signed Hülkenberg for the 2013 season to replace Kamui Kobayashi.

Hülkenberg was unable to begin the Australian Grand Prix due to a leak in his Sauber C32's fuel system; he had qualified eleventh for the event but had to be withdrawn for safety reasons. Hülkenberg qualified in twelfth at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but finished the series in eighth place, but finished in eighth place. At the Italian Grand Prix, Hülkenberg had his best qualifying result of the season to date, placing him 3rd in the grid. Despite losing two places to Ferrari Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, he stayed fifth place despite being harrassed by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg toward the end of the season. He beat Toro Rosso driver Jean-Éric Vergne in the Drivers' Championship by finishing in fifth place. In a contest in which he defeated Hamilton and Alonso more than once, his best finish came at the Korean Grand Prix, where he came in fourth after a close contest with Hamilton and Alonso in which he displayed impressive defensive skills and made no mistakes.

Force India reported on December 3rd that they had signed Hülkenberg for 2014 to compete alongside Sergio Pérez. In the first round, Hülkenberg earned his seventh finish in Melbourne, but he was promoted to sixth after second-placed Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification. He finished fifth at the Malaysian Grand Prix later in the year, putting off Ferrari's Fernando Alonso before being overtaken. Hülkenberg came in third place of the drivers' standings in Bahrain, behind Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Hülkenberg finished sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix, receiving eight points. After Fernando Alonso finished third place in the Drivers' Championship, he finished in fourth place. Force India came in second second in the Constructors' Championship to Red Bull Racing, defeating them in second.

Following Williams and McLaren's continued point scoring runs throughout the season, Hülkenberg finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 96 points, a career high, and helped Force India achieve sixth place in the Constructors' Championship. His best result of the season came in fifth place, which he earned four times.

Force India announced in October 2014 that they had re-signed Hülkenberg for 2015.

He finished seventh, a lap down, in the first round of Australia. However, he will not score again in an uncompetitive Force India until Canada. He suffered a big accident at turn one when his front wing detached and he sped over it, sending him barely airborne and into the barriers, costing him his potential fourth place. He then failed to finish five of the next seven races. He suffered in Belgium with a power unit failure on the way to the grid, but in Singapore, he was tagged by Felipe Massa at turn three and spun into the barriers, receiving a three-place grid penalty for being deemed responsible. He spun at turn two and collected Marcus Ericsson, possibly costing him a podium finish, and in the United States, he fell into Daniel Ricciardo and broke his front right suspension, though he didn't spin out his front right suspension.

He finished his season 10th with 58 points, 20 points behind his teammate, and helped Force India to gain fifth place in the Constructors' Championship this season, his highest result of the season was fifth, which he achieved three times.

In 2016, Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez competed for Force India together.

He came in seventh place in Australia's first round. With Force India's uncompetitive Force India, he will finish the next two races in 15th position. Esteban Gutiérrez, his former teammate, was beaten in Russia and banned from the sport. Due to an oil leak, he will also pull out of the next race. In Monaco, a podium managed to escape Hülkenberg's grasp once more. He qualified fifth and was supposed to finish on the podium, but he became trapped in traffic after his pit stop and his colleague jumped him for the final podium position. He eventually finished sixth, beating eventual World Champion Nico Rosberg, who had struggled throughout the season, just before the finish line on the last lap. Following this, points were then awarded in the next two races. He spun in qualifying at the 2016 European Grand Prix in Baku, when Force India was extremely competitive. Pérez qualified 13th and finished ninth, while Pérez placed 2nd (damaged to seventh after a grid penalty) and finished third, while Pérez placed third. He put in another good qualifying result to place third, rising to second place after Nico Rosberg served his five-place grid penalty in Austria. However, he had a bad start and was overtaken by quicker cars as the race went on until his brakes failed and he had to pull out, and he had to abandon. Five consecutive points finishes, including fourth at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, his highest result of the season so far, when he was first ranked second after the first lap but was eventually defeated by the faster cars of Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton. He was involved in a first lap accident, where he was wedged between two drivers and had to pull out of the sport after the race. At the next two events, Hülkenberg came in eighth place. Having revealed his intention to join Renault for the 2017 season ahead of the 2016 United States Grand Prix, Hülkenberg put on some resurgent results. He ranked seventh in the United States before he resigned after being squeezed in between Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. He came in fifth place in Mexico, behind the Ferraris and finishing seventh. He disqualified his teammates in Brazil and was fourth, but he recovered after falling outside the points after Kimi Räikkönen's crash costing him a podium finish and dropping out of seventh place, leaving Daniel Ricciardo in seventh position. He capped off his season in Abu Dhabi by outqualifying Pérez once more and finishing in the same order after being involved in a collision with Max Verstappen on the first lap.

Hülkenberg earned 72 points in the season, finishing ninth in the Drivers' Championship and assisting India in finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

Renault Sport announced on October 14 that Hülkenberg had signed a multi-year contract to race with the Renault Sport Formula One team.

He scored his first points for the team in Bahrain's third race of the season, finishing ninth in Russia. Hülkenberg's best result since returning to the sport in 2016 came in 6th place in Spain, Renault's highest result in the sport since returning in 2016. When running in the points, his point scoring streak came to an end in Monaco. He finished eighth in Canada, followed by a premature resignation in Azerbaijan, where he clumsily clipped the wall when running in a promising 6th position. He finished 13th in Austria, behind his colleague Jolyon Palmer for the first time after a rough start.

At the 2017 British Grand Prix, a new Renault upgrade saw significant improvement, starting in Hülkenberg qualifying and finishing 6th. He qualified 7th as the best of the rest" (behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull), but the car still ranks 12th on the grid after being placed in 5th place, but the car started 12th on the grid. He was supposed to gain points in the game but he was eventually suspended due to a bad pit stop and he eventually dropped him down the field and he eventually pulled him out of the competition. During the race, Kevin Magnussen had knocked Hülkenberg off the track when they were fighting for position. Magnussen received a time penalty for the incident. When Hülkenberg was interviewed by Danish television in the media pen, he was branded 'nasty' and the'most unsporting driver of the entire grid', and Magnussen calmly replied with'suck my balls, honey.' Hülkenberg came in second place in the championship with 26 points and 10th overall standing.

Hülkenberg returned from the summer break in Belgium in a strong form, placing 7th and 6th in the overall standings. Carlos Sainz Jr. would replace Jolyon Palmer, who had scored 0 points to Hülkenberg's 34 points, at Singapore. In 7th, Hülkenberg ranked as the 'best of the rest'. Following Sebastian Vettel's first corner crash and subsequent retirements of Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso's quick-starting McLaren, Fernando Alonso, after the first lap of the race, Hülkenberg found himself in 3rd position. He seemed to be on his way to his first podium finish in Formula 1, but Daniil Kvyat crashed and pulled out the Safety Car and left him in 5th place, despite Renault's miscalculation. He eventually rose to 4th place in Formula 1, after an oil leak caused his retirement from the sport, in which he succeeded Adrian Sutil to become the first man to reach the podium finish in the sport.

Carlos Sainz Jr. would replace Palmer for the remainder of the season, beginning at the next Grand Prix in Austin. When he lost control of his car's DRS system, he was comfortably in the points for the majority of the race. In all 16 races, Hülkenberg and Palmer scored 34 points to Palmer's 8 points and outqualified Palmer. Hülkenberg resigned on lap 4 in the United States due to an engine problem. He resigned from a net 4th position in Mexico once more due to an engine problem. This was his third time in a row that he had failed to finish a race, and the fourth time in five races. Sainz led home teammate Sainz to tenth place in almost three months, his first points in nearly three months, with his previous finishes finishing at Belgium in August. With 7th place, he ranked 'best of the rest' in Abu Dhabi. He finished the season in 6th place after receiving a controversial 5-second penalty for sending Sergio Pérez off the track at the start of the season, although many believed he deserved to have been given the position back. He ended up creating enough of a gap to Pérez that the time penalty had no effect on his career. Renault took 6th place in the Constructors' Championship, beating Toro Rosso for sixth place.

This year saw Renault rank 6th in the Constructors' Championship and lift Hülkenberg to 43 points for the season, the same as Massa, but with more 6th-place finishes, he came in 10th place in the standings. He had disqualified his teammates 19-1 over the season's 191-1 victory and outscored his colleagues 43-14 against the course of the season.

Hülkenberg stayed at Renault during his first full season with the Renault F1 team in 2018.

Hülkenberg and Renault got off to a good start in the first three series, with a 7th and two 6th positions. Sainz finished 10th in the first race in Australia, marking the first double points finish for Renault in F1 since the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix. Hülkenberg was given a 5 place grid penalty for changing his damaged gearbox during the fourth race of the season. He qualified at 9th and will debut on 14th. It came to an end for him after starting the last 6 races 7th on the grid. He had climbed to fifth place by lap 10, lost the rear of his car on lap 10, and collapsed with suspension damage after his 5th race point streak came to an end. It was the second time in two years that he had resigned from a top-ten position in Baku from an unforced blunder.

At the next race in Spain, Hülkenberg's misfortunes continued. For the first time in 59 races, he was disqualified due to a fuel pressure issue with his car. On the first lap of the season, Romain Grosjean, a spinning Romain Grosjean, took him out. Following the accident, Hülkenberg condemned Grosjean's driving, for which the Frenchman received a grid penalty for the upcoming race. For the first time since the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, Hülkenberg was disqualified by a teammate by merit. Despite this, he finished the race in 8th, having started in 11th, with his teammate Sainz observing team orders late in the competition to keep him safe. After qualifying and finishing the race in 7th, he followed this up with another point-scoring finish in Canada. Formula One's first ever triple header took place in France, Austria, and the United Kingdom in three races. In France, Hülkenberg came in 9th, followed by a move from 9th in Austria due to an engine failure. It was his third retirement in 6 races and his seventh in his last 16 races. However, he ended the triple header on a high, finishing sixth in the British Grand Prix at 6th place. Hülkenberg posted his best-ever result for Renault at his home grand prix in Germany, taking first place over Kevin Magnussen late on when the rain started to fall. He placed 12th on the grid after a refuelling issue restricted him to only 13th on the grid, placing him in 12th place at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite this, he finished the season with 52 points and 7th in the championship as the true leader of the midfield, which many drivers had started to label the B championship of Formula 1 or 'Formula 1.5' due to a significant difference in results to the top three teams of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

Due to engine penalties, Hülkenberg's first corner accident in Belgium started in 18th. With one of Alonso's tyres striking the newly introduced safety gadget, the halo, Hülkenberg confronted Fernando Alonso, who was launched above the Sauber of Charles Leclerc. Kimi Räikkönen and Daniel Ricciardo's race were also ended as a result of the collision. Hülkenberg was found to have 'completely misjudged the situation' by the race officials and was given a ten-place grid penalty for the upcoming race. Romain Grosjean's spectacular crash was likened to the one at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. Following the incident, Hülkenberg, a vocal opponent of the halo's introduction in 2018, said that it was 'pretty useful.'

Hülkenberg had a tough run, coinciding with Renault's loss of competitiveness, with only scoring 1 point in the next four races. At the United States Grand Prix, he returned to form with a 6th-place finish. With Sainz finishing in seventh place and the best team result for the Renault campaign since they returned to action in 2016, defeating the 7th and 8th places the two drivers had reached in Canada earlier this year. This was followed by another good run in Mexico, with another 6th position finishing. After being rolled over into the barriers by Romain Grosjean in Abu Dhabi, his season came to an end with two consecutive retirements due to high engine temperatures in Brazil.

Despite this, he finished the season as the "champion of the rest" in 7th place, 7 points ahead of Sergio Pérez, who also secured fourth place in the Constructor's Championship.

Nico Hülkenberg, a multiple Grand Prix winner who was signed from Red Bull, was joined at Renault for the 2019 season. Hülkenberg, the first ranked finisher in 158 races by the 2019 season, said his "future in the sport is dependent on the outcome of the duel" as his results could be determined "against a Grand Prix champion" for the first time since his rookie season in 2010, when he was teammate to Rubens Barrichello at Williams. In the meantime, Renault's managing director, Cyril Abiteboul, said that the driver pairing was "one of the best - if not the best - driver line-up on the grid."

Hülkenberg started the season strong, defeating Ricciardo at his home track, but an engine issue prevented him from qualifying for the top spot, placing him 11th. He got off to a good start and ended the season in seventh place. In the next race in Bahrain, however, he was struck by misfortune. He was limited to 17th in qualifying due to an engine mapping issue. However, he had a fantastic run, rising 11 places and being on track to finish sixth, despite having broken contact with Ricciardo on the way, when the Australian slid into him when Hülkenberg overtook him. Both Hülkenberg and Ricciardo, who were running 6th and 10th respectively, were forced to retire with engine problems at the same corner on lap 53, four laps from the end. Renault's engine problems, according to Abiteboul, were "unacceptable." As Hülkenberg removed from a points-scoring role with engine issues at the next race in China, this time with a software problem, the two problems were compounded. Hülkenberg crashed in qualifying and fractured his front wing in Spain. He had to install a different specification front wing, which had to be derogated parc fermé legislation, ensuring he would start the race in the pit lane. He will finish the race in 13th place. A chance of a points finish was shattered in Monaco's following race, when the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc collided with Hülkenberg, who was attempting an overtaking attempt that the German called "too optimistic." Both drivers suffered from punctures. Hülkenberg finished 13th in the standings, but Leclerc resigned from the sport shortly after. He then finished the next two races in 7th and 8th places in Canada and France respectively. He recovered to a 10th-place finish after being struck by former teammate Sergio Pérez and his engine momentarily failing and going into 'limp mode,' while also assessing the team's tactics. In precarious wet weather, Hülkenberg dropped out of his home run. At one point, he had been in fourth place after starting at 2nd place at Turn 16, where fellow racer Charles Leclerc, race leader Lewis Hamilton, and former teammate Carlos Sainz all went off. The two children managed to recover and continue, though Leclerc and Hülkenberg were both dissociated. Both retired people slammed the corner's run-off, which is a different tarmac used for dragster racing, causing there is no grip in the wet weather to help avoid the accident. Hülkenberg was in contention for points at the following race in Hungary, but he was unable to finish in 12th place due to a power failure on his Renault. Hülkenberg finished 14th in the championship, five points behind new teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 11th place going into the summer break. After a disappointing first half of the season, Renault's points total of 39 points was 43 points behind where they were last year.

Renault revealed that Hülkenberg would be replaced by Mercedes reserve driver and former Force India driver Esteban Ocon for the 2020 season right before the Belgian GP. The decision was made "not for results," Hülkenberg said, alluding that the French Renault team needed a French driver, such as Ocon. Renault announced that Hülkenberg had been given a new one-year deal, but the German refused.

Hülkenberg will be with Renault for the remainder of the season, and he's off to a promising second half of the season after qualifying 7th in Belgium. Verstappen, Räikkönen, Ricciardo, and Stroll died after a grid penalty, which put him 12th and he fell even higher, when he took evasive measures to avoid accidents involving Verstappen, Räikkönen, Ricciardo, and Stroll. Nonetheless, he employed an alternative two-stop approach and took up three positions in the last lap to finish eighth. Both Renaults had a good weekend in Italy, with Ricciardo and Hülkenberg qualifying 5th and 6th respectively, with both drivers moving up a position to finish 4th and 5th respectively, after Sebastian Vettel spun out of contention. This was Renault's best points haul since returning to the sport in 2016, as well as Hülkenberg's joint best result for the team.

Hülkenberg had begun qualifying in Singapore as a teammate Daniel Ricciardo had been disqualified from qualifying because his vehicle exceeded the MGU-K power limit, starting the race in 8th. In the event, Hülkenberg was involved in a first lap collision with former teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Both drivers suffered punctures and had to stop on the first lap and fell to the back of the pack. Despite this, he managed to earn his third position in a row for his third position. In an impressive 6th place, Hülkenberg entered the next race in a respectable 6th place. However, his race was harmed by a bad start that kept him outside the top ten. After recovering to 9th place, the Renault pit crew took his car off the jack, knocking him out of the top ten. He eventually finished in tenth place, overtaking Lance Stroll at the end of the course. "Everything that could go wrong went wrong," Hülkenberg said after the race. In Japan, another misfortune struck Hülkenberg. After a mechanical failure in Q2 meant he could not set a realistic time to advance further, he was limited to just 15th in qualifying. However, he got off to a promising start in the first lap and was up to 10th in the event by the time, and he would finish the race in that position. However, both Renault cars were disqualified for having a pre-set automated brake bias device that was deemed a driver aid and therefore unlawful, following a demonstration by rival manufacturer Racing Point. This was Hülkenberg's first disqualification in his entire F1 career.

When running in 9th, he managed to salvage a point in the following run by spinning into the wall by Daniil Kvyat at the last corner of the last lap. He crossed the line in 11th, without a rear wing, but he was promoted to tenth after Kvyat was suspended for the incident. He came back from yet another points finish in the United States with ninth place. He ran in Brazil during a difficult campaign in which two safety car seasons interfered in his scheme and left him 12th on the line. When the safety car line was restarted, he was punished for overtaking Kevin Magnussen before the safety car line, and the safety car was rated 15th, his lowest result of the year. He was voted Driver of the Day in Abu Dhabi for the first time after finishing 12th in what was possibly his final race in Formula One, after struggling to win a drive for the 2020 season.

He finished the season in 14th place, his lowest finish in the standings since his debut in 2010, scoring 37 points on the season, 17 less than teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Hülkenberg did not have a deal for the 2020 F1 season. Since Pérez tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus, Sergio Pérez was at Racing Point for the British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He qualified third in the British Grand Prix, but did not start the race due to an engine failure prior to the race's start. After Pérez test positive for COVID-19 again, Hülkenberg will have another chance to compete for the team at the Silverstone Circuit again. He came in third behind the two Mercedes cars, and although he was intended to finish in fourth, Hülkenberg unexpectedly had high rates of tyre wear, causing him to pit again. He then finished seventh, behind teammate Lance Stroll. Hülkenberg did not race at the Spanish Grand Prix as Sergio Pérez returned to racing after testing negative for COVID-19. Lance Stroll, the team's other driver, will miss the Eifel Grand Prix after the Canadian had sat out final practice due to being sick. He finished the race in 8th after qualifying 20th and last, on the grid, winning him the fans' vote of "Driver of the Day."

The Aston Martin F1 Team (previously Racing Point) has signed Hülkenberg as a reserve and development driver for the 2021 season.

Sebastian Vettel was the reserve driver for the team in 2022 after Vettel tested positive for COVID-19. Hülkenberg started and finished the race in 17th place. Hülkenberg's return to Aston Martin in the following series began in 17th and ended in 12th place, according to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beginning in 17th and ending in 12th place.

In the post-Hungarian GP Pirelli experiments, Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll worked together to develop the 2023 tyres.

In November 2014, Hülkenberg was announced in Le Mans, Spain, as a third factory-backed Porsche 919 Hybrid. He also competed in the World Endurance Championship's Spa-Francorchamps round as preparations.

He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race on June 14, 2015, teaming Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber of New Zealand. They ran for 395 laps, one lap behind Porsche teammates Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley, and Timo Bernhard, who finished second. This was Porsche's first overall victory in the event since the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Hülkenberg's triumph made him the first active Formula One racer to win at Le Mans since Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot, who achieved the same feat in 1991.

On October 25, 2021, Hülkenberg participated in a private IndyCar test at Barber Motorsports Park, propelling the No. 208. 7 Arrow McLaren SP (AMSP) vehicle, with AMSP chief Taylor Kiel stating in a paper that Hülkenberg was considered for a third part-time entry in 2022. In his first test, he ran a time of 77.454 seconds, about a second off the fastest time set by 2021 Indy Lights runner-up David Malukas in 77.454 seconds, just over 100 laps. Hülkenberg decided against attending McLaren's career in IndyCar, claiming that he was reluctant to race on ovals and that the Dallara DW12 was much more difficult to drive physically than the Formula One cars he was used to.

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