For Nico Hulkenberg it was a complete surprise to open the 2022 season at the wheel of one of the Aston Martins. Although it is true that he did not manage to score points in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, at least he got the applause of the paddock and many fans after seeing his good performances without any previous preparation.
In just over a week, the category will land in Australia for the third race of the campaign and, most likely, Sebastian Vettel will return to the cockpit of his car, with Hulkenberg back in his role as reserve driver and to the ServusTV studio, where he is a commentator during the weekends.
On his fleeting experience with the new ground effect single-seaters, which seem to have achieved their main objectives, which were to improve the show on the track and change the hierarchical order of the grid, the German was delighted to have had this great opportunity.
“It was great to be back on the grid and to feel that adrenaline before the race, that tension before qualifying. Of course, those are very, very intense moments. […] When I think about what I will remember in a few months, I think I will have very good and happy memories of all this”.
Despite being left without a seat at the end of the 2019 season, the German was able to contest two races in 2020 and, so far, another two in 2022. Thanks to this, Hulkenberg has been able to compare how much the new generation of single-seaters has changed compared to cars from previous seasons.
“Of course it’s in another position on details, but overall these cars still produce a lot, a lot of downforce, albeit in a different way, so it doesn’t feel that different, because downforce is still downforce. “.
“For me these cars are now more solid than before, they are like a rock and the tires don’t budge either, so you can drive with your ass totally glued to the tarmac. It’s just tricky, that’s the biggest difference I would say for me.” , he concluded.
