14 years on from his Formula 1 debut with Williams Racing, Nico Hülkenberg continues to impress in Formula 1 as he had a superb 2024 campaign with Haas, and he is 8th in Pit Debrief’s 2024 F1 Driver Rankings.
Qualifying pace is as good as ever
Many were sceptical about Hülkenberg’s return to F1 in 2023 at the age of 35. However, he has proven after time away that he is as fast as ever, comfortably beating Kevin Magnussen in 2023 and 2024.
This year, he made Q3 on 11 occasions as he consistently left everyone impressed by the great laps he could consistently put in on a Saturday afternoon.
He left his best for last in Abu Dhabi by qualifying a sensational P4, although he was handed a three-place grid penalty after the session.
Nonetheless, one slight negative was the fact he got beaten in qualifying by Ollie Bearman on the two occasions the young Brit raced for Haas.
In his two seasons together with Magnussen, Hülkenberg won the qualifying battle 31-13.
Very solid in races for the most part
Despite making errors in Bahrain, Monza, São Paulo and Qatar, Hülkenberg was generally quick and reliable as he bagged points for the team throughout the season.
He finished P11 on seven occasions, and the 37-year-old German finished in the points ten times in Grands Prix in 2024. Points were also nabbed in the Miami and Qatar Sprints, meaning he scored in half of the events this year.
The standout moment was at Silverstone. On a day where conditions kept changing, Hülkenberg was superb as he finished P6. The day before he had outqualified both Ferraris on merit. Beating Max Verstappen in the Qatar Sprint was a close second as Haas’ in season development was outstanding.
Hülkenberg just missed out on a first top 10 finish in the Drivers’ Championship as Pierre Gasly beat him to P7 in Abu Dhabi, claiming 10th in the standings by a single point. The podium in Brazil for the Frenchman was ultimately the biggest factor.
Nonetheless, the former Renault driver was faster and more consistent throughout the season versus Magnussen compared to Gasly versus Ocon, and Hülkenberg ultimately got the nod over Gasly in our F1 Driver Rankings.
Has he made a mistake joining the Audi project?
Despite the best efforts of Haas to retain him, Hülkenberg agreed a multi-year deal with Sauber/Audi to take on a new challenge. The team led by Ayao Komatsu made big gains during 2024.
However, it is very much a long-term project as Mattia Binotto was at pains to point out earlier this year. Audi are quite a way behind when it comes to 2026.
As for next year, his return to Sauber 12 years on from his first spell with the team is going to be tricky. While the 2024 car was improved towards the end of the campaign, Sauber scored just four points as they really struggled.
At 37, Hülkenberg does not have many years left to get that elusive podium finish in Formula 1. As things stand right now, it looks as far away as ever.
Nonethless, he can be very pleased with his work in 2024. Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto will have a proper benchmark in the other Sauber next year.
