Nico Hülkenberg

Biography of Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg is a German driver currently racing for the Haas F1 Team.

Born on August 19, 1987, the 37-year-old has raced for Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin, and Haas during a career spanning back to 2010.

Nico Hulkenberg before F1

After a successful karting career, Hulkenberg secured titles at the Formula 4 and Formula 3 levels before winning the 2009 GP2 championship, putting together a junior career that was the envy of many of his contemporaries.

His success had attracted interest from Williams, and Hulkenberg served as a test and reserve driver in 2008 and 2009 before he was promoted to the race team the following year.

Nico Hulkenberg in F1

The German scored points in six races before he and Williams timed things to perfection in wet qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix to snatch pole position from a packed bunch of title contenders.

Hulkenberg went on to finish eighth at Interlagos in that race, and soon after, it was confirmed that he would not be retained.

Force India, Sauber, Force India

Snubbed by Williams in favour of the well-financed Pastor Maldonado, Hulkenberg joined Force India as a test driver in 2011 and was promoted to the race team the following year.

He came close again to that elusive podium by finishing fourth in Belgium and ending the year outscoring and outqualifying teammate Paul Di Resta, but switched to Sauber for the following season.

Hulkenberg scored 12 fewer points across the season for the Swiss team, once again taking a fourth-place finish—this time in Korea—but was once again on the move the following year, returning to Force India, where he raced alongside Sergio Perez.

The Mexican scored at least one podium finish in each of their three seasons together, as well as finishing above Hulkenberg in the championship in 2015 and 2016.

Renault move (2017–2019)

Although Force India had largely outperformed Renault in 2016, Hulkenberg switched to the French constructor, sold on their bigger budgets and ambitions to become a champion team once again.

In 2017, Hulkenberg wiped the floor with Jolyon Palmer, leading to the Brit's early departure from the team as he outqualified him at every race and scored almost all of the team's points that year.

With Carlos Sainz Jr. joining as Palmer's replacement at the tail end of 2017 and into 2018, Hulkenberg again got the better of the Spaniard, finishing 2018 as the best driver outside of the top three teams in seventh place, albeit still without that elusive podium.

2019 saw Hulkenberg eclipsed by new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, plummeting to a 14th-place finish with 37 points, marking his lowest ranking since his debut. Replaced by Ocon, his Renault tenure came to a disappointing end.

Racing Point (2020)

Contactless in 2020, Hulkenberg filled in for Pérez at Racing Point after the Mexican tested positive for COVID.

Despite power unit issues at Silverstone, he surprised with a P3 in qualifying for the 70th Anniversary GP but ended the race in 7th.

Back on the sidelines for Spain, he returned for the Eifel GP as a replacement for Lance Stroll, starting last and finishing 8th.

Aston Martin (2021–2022)

After a year on the sidelines as Aston Martin's reserve driver (formerly Racing Point), Nico Hulkenberg made a comeback to the F1 grid in 2022.

Stepping in for Sebastian Vettel, who contracted COVID-19, Hulkenberg finished in 17th place at the season-opening Bahrain GP and in 12th place at the following race in Saudi Arabia.

Hulkenberg's performance as a super-sub earned him a Haas seat for the 2023 season, marking his full-time return after four years.

Haas (2023–present)

Stepping into Mick Schumacher's shoes at Haas, Hulkenberg's 2023 season saw him navigate to a 16th-place finish with 9 points, 6 points ahead of teammate Kevin Magnussen. Despite a modest season, the American team opted to retain both drivers for 2024.

Net worth Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg salary and net worth

F1 driver's contract and salary with a team is, of course, confidential information, but the contract of Nico Hulkenberg is believed to be worth $2 million.

Nico Hulkenberg's wife

Hulkenberg married Lithuanian fashion designer and model Egle Ruskyte in 2015. The pair welcomed their first child, a daughter named Noemi Sky, in 2021.