Nico Hulkenberg is a German racing driver known for his lengthy career in Formula One. Until July 6, 2025, he held an unfortunate distinction — the highest number of Formula One race starts (239) without achieving a podium. He broke that duck with a third-place finish at the 2025 British Grand Prix. Hulkenberg’s career has seen him drive for several midfield teams, and he has achieved success outside F1 in endurance racing, including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.
| Nationality | German |
|---|---|
| Born | Nicolas Hülkenberg 19 August 1987 Emmerich am Rhein, West Germany |
| Height | 6 ft / 1.84m |
| Weight | 78kg |
Prior to joining the F1 grid, his career included a championship win in the 2009 GP2 Series and title wins in the Formula 3 Euro Series and the A1 Grand Prix Series. Hulkenberg is also among the elite six F1 drivers who, since 2005, clinched the GP2 Series/Formula 2 title in their debut season — joining the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri.
After years of testing for the team from 2007 to 2009, Hulkenberg made his Formula One debut with Williams in 2010. His standout performance of the season came at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, where he claimed his first pole position, giving Williams their first pole in five years. Despite a promising rookie season, Williams replaced Hulkenberg with Pastor Maldonado for the 2011 season, leaving him without a race seat.
In 2011, Hulkenberg joined Force India as a reserve driver, where he spent the season testing for the team. His patience paid off, as he was promoted to a full-seat for the 2012 season. Consistent points finishes and a strong showing at the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, where he led the race for a significant portion before finishing fifth, earned him attention from other teams in the paddock.
Hulkenberg moved to Sauber for the 2013 season, where he continued to build on his reputation as a reliable and fast driver. Despite Sauber’s struggles with competitiveness, Hulkenberg managed to score some strong results, including a standout fourth-place finish at the 2013 Korean Grand Prix.
In 2014, Hulkenberg returned to Force India, where he partnered with Sergio Perez. Over the next three seasons, he helped Force India become one of the stronger midfield teams. Though he never achieved a podium, he often finished in the top five. His time at Force India also included a sixth-place finish in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship, one of his best overall seasons in Formula One.
Hulkenberg joined Renault for the 2017 season, a move that was seen as an opportunity to push toward the front of the grid as Renault aimed to rebuild as a factory team. Although Hulkenberg often outperformed his car, the team was not yet competitive enough to challenge for podiums. He was eventually replaced by Esteban Ocon for the 2020 season, leaving him without a drive.
Without a full-time seat, Hulkenberg returned to Racing Point (formerly Force India, and later rebranded as Aston Martin) as a reserve driver in 2020. He filled in for Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll in three races during the COVID-19 pandemic, earning praise for his performances, including a third-place start at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and a top-ten finish after being called in at the last minute. In 2022, Hulkenberg again stepped in as a substitute, this time for Sebastian Vettel in two races.
His stand-in performances earned him a place back on the grid in 2023 when he joined Haas alongside Kevin Magnussen. Hulkenberg quickly proved his worth by consistently outperforming his teammate in qualifying and delivering solid race performances. Despite Haas’s struggles with race pace and tyre degradation, Hulkenberg earned points finishes and kept Haas competitive in the midfield. However, by the end of 2024, Hulkenberg had not added to his podium or win tally, maintaining the records for most career starts without a win or podium. He left Haas at the end of the 2024 season to rejoin Sauber, ahead of the team’s transition to Audi.
Come the 2025 British Grand Prix, he finally secured an F1 podium after starting nineteenth on the grid, with a third-place finish behind Lando Norris in first and Oscar Piastri in second, having been chased down in the closing laps, and holding off a charging Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.
Outside of Formula One, Hulkenberg succeeded in endurance racing, competing for Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He participated in two rounds of the 2015 season, including the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. In his debut at Le Mans, Hulkenberg claimed an overall victory, becoming one of the few drivers to win the race on their first attempt.
Read how Nico Hülkenberg compares to the other standout drivers who never won in F1 in our in-depth feature on the sport’s best winless racers.
Nico Hulkenberg Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2010, 2012-2020, 2022-Ongoing |
|---|---|
| Teams | Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin, Haas, Audi |
| Driver Number | 27 |
| Entries | Ongoing |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | Ongoing |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First entry | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | Ongoing |
Nico Hulkenberg Teammates
| 19 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubens Barrichello | 19 | 2010 | |
| Paul di Resta | 34 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Adrian Sutil | 14 | 2011 | |
| Jules Bianchi | 9 | 2012 | |
| Esteban Gutierrez | 19 | 2013 | |
| Sergio Perez | 61 | 2014 | 2020 |
| Daniel Juncadella | 3 | 2014 | |
| Alfonso Celis | 6 | 2016 | |
| Jolyon Palmer | 16 | 2017 | |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 4 | 2017 | |
| Carlos Sainz | 25 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Artem Markelov | 1 | 2018 | |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 21 | 2019 | |
| Lance Stroll | 5 | 2020 | 2022 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 2022 | |
| Kevin Magnussen | 45 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Oliver Bearman | 8 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 25 | 2025 | 2026 |
| Paul Aron | 2 | 2025 |
Nico Hulkenberg Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | AT&T Williams | Williams FW32 | Cosworth CA2010 2.4 V8 | BHR 14 | AUS Ret | MAL 10 | CHN 15 | ESP 16 | MON Ret | TUR 17 | CAN 13 | EUR Ret | GBR 10 | GER 13 | HUN 6 | BEL 14 | ITA 7 | SIN 10 | JPN Ret | KOR 10 | BRA 8 | ABU 16 | 14th | 22 | |||||
| 2011 | Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM04 | Mercedes FO 108Y 2.4 V8 | AUS TD | MAL TD | CHN TD | TUR TD | ESP TD | MON | CAN TD | EUR TD | GBR TD | GER TD | HUN TD | BEL TD | ITA TD | SIN | JPN TD | – | – | |||||||||
| 2011 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM04 | Mercedes FO 108Y 2.4 V8 | KOR | IND | ABU | BRA TD | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM05 | Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4 V8 | AUS Ret | MAL 9 | CHN 15 | BHR 12 | ESP 10 | MON 8 | CAN 12 | EUR 5 | GBR 12 | GER 9 | HUN 11 | BEL 4 | ITA 21 † | SIN 14 | JPN 7 | KOR 6 | IND 8 | ABU Ret | USA 8 | BRA 5 | 11th | 63 | ||||
| 2013 | Sauber F1 Team | Sauber C32 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | AUS DNS | MAL 8 | CHN 10 | BHR 12 | ESP 15 | MON 11 | CAN Ret | GBR 10 | GER 10 | HUN 11 | BEL 13 | ITA 5 | SIN 9 | KOR 4 | JPN 6 | IND 19 † | ABU 14 | USA 6 | BRA 8 | 10th | 51 | |||||
| 2014 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM07 | Mercedes PU106A Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS 6 | MAL 5 | BHR 5 | CHN 6 | ESP 10 | MON 5 | CAN 5 | AUT 9 | GBR 8 | GER 7 | HUN Ret | BEL 10 | ITA 12 | SIN 9 | JPN 8 | RUS 12 | USA Ret | BRA 8 | ABU 6 | 9th | 96 | |||||
| 2015 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM08 | Mercedes PU106B Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS 7 | MAL 14 | CHN Ret | BHR 13 | ESP 15 | MON 11 | CAN 8 | AUT 6 | 10th | 58 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM08B | Mercedes PU106B Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | GBR 7 | HUN Ret | BEL DNS | ITA 7 | SIN Ret | JPN 6 | RUS Ret | USA Ret | MEX 7 | BRA 6 | ABU 7 | 10th | 58 | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM09 | Mercedes PU106C Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS 7 | BHR 15 | CHN 15 | RUS Ret | ESP Ret | MON 6 | CAN 8 | EUR 9 | AUT 19 † | GBR 7 | HUN 10 | GER 7 | BEL 4 | ITA 10 | SIN Ret | MAL 8 | JPN 8 | USA Ret | MEX 7 | BRA 7 | ABU 7 | 9th | 72 | |||
| 2017 | Renault Sport F1 Team | Renault R.S.17 | Renault R.E.17 1.6 V6 t | AUS 11 | CHN 12 | BHR 9 | RUS 8 | ESP 6 | MON Ret | CAN 8 | AZE Ret | AUT 13 | GBR 6 | HUN 17 † | BEL 6 | ITA 13 | SIN Ret | MAL 16 | JPN Ret | USA Ret | MEX Ret | BRA 10 | ABU 6 | 10th | 43 | ||||
| 2018 | Renault Sport F1 Team | Renault R.S.18 | Renault R.E.18 1.6 V6 t | AUS 7 | BHR 6 | CHN 6 | AZE Ret | ESP Ret | MON 8 | CAN 7 | FRA 9 | AUT Ret | GBR 6 | GER 5 | HUN 12 | BEL Ret | ITA 13 | SIN 10 | RUS 12 | JPN Ret | USA 6 | MEX 6 | BRA Ret | ABU Ret | 7th | 69 | |||
| 2019 | Renault F1 Team | Renault R.S.19 | Renault E-Tech 19 1.6 V6 t | AUS 7 | BHR 17 † | CHN Ret | AZE 14 | ESP 13 | MON 13 | CAN 7 | FRA 8 | AUT 13 | GBR 10 | GER Ret | HUN 12 | BEL 8 | ITA 5 | SIN 9 | RUS 10 | JPN DSQ | MEX 10 | USA 9 | BRA 15 | ABU 12 | 14th | 37 | |||
| 2020 | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | Racing Point RP20 | Mercedes M11 EQ Performance 1.6 V6 t | AUT | STY | HUN | GBR DNS | 70A 7 | ESP | BEL | ITA | TUS | RUS | EIF 8 | POR | EMI | TUR | BHR | SKH | ABU | 15th | 10 | |||||||
| 2022 | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | Aston Martin AMR22 | Mercedes F1 M13 E Performance 1.6 V6 t | BHR 17 | SAU 12 | AUS | EMI | MIA | ESP | MON | AZE | CAN | GBR | AUT | FRA | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | SIN | JPN | USA | MXC | SAP | ABU | 22nd | 0 | ||
| 2023 | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | Haas VF-23 | Ferrari 066/10 1.6 V6 t | BHR 15 | SAU 12 | AUS 7 | AZE 17 | MIA 15 | MON 17 | ESP 15 | CAN 15 | AUT Ret 6 | GBR 13 | HUN 14 | BEL 18 | NED 12 | ITA 17 | SIN 13 | JPN 14 | QAT 16 | USA 11 | MXC 13 | SAP 12 | LVG 19† | ABU 15 | 16th | 9 | ||
| 2024 | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | Haas VF-24 | Ferrari 066/10 1.6 V6 t | BHR 16 | SAU 10 | AUS 9 | JPN 11 | CHN 10 | MIA 11 7 | EMI 11 | MON Ret | CAN 11 | ESP 11 | AUT 6 | GBR 6 | HUN 13 | BEL 18 | NED 11 | ITA 17 | AZE 11 | SIN 9 | USA 8 8 | MXC 9 | SAP DSQ | LVG 8 | QAT Ret 7 | ABU 8 | 11th | 41 |
| 2025 | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | Kick Sauber C45 | Ferrari 066/12 1.6 V6 t | AUS 7 | CHN 15 | JPN 16 | BHR DSQ | SAU 15 | MIA 14 | EMI 12 | MON 16 | ESP 5 | CAN 8 | AUT 9 | GBR 3 | BEL 12 | HUN 13 | NED 14 | ITA DNS | AZE 16 | SIN 20 | USA 8 | MXC Ret | SAP 9 | LVG 7 | QAT Ret | ABU 9 | 11th | 51 |
| 2026 | Audi Revolut F1 Team | Audi R26 | Audi | AUS | CHN | JPN | BHR | SAU | MIA | CAN | MON | ESP | AUT | GBR | BEL | HUN | NED | ITA | MAD | AZE | SIN | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | QAT | ABU | – | – |
† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
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