Nico Hülkenberg scores a total of six points for Audi in Singapore and keeps George Russell behind him: the German describes it as a ‘minor miracle’
Nico Hülkenberg put in a strong performance at the Formula 1 race in Singapore, securing six vital World Championship points for Audi with an eighth-place finish. Particularly impressive: in the closing stages, the German held off Mercedes driver George Russell, even though, on paper, Russell was driving the faster car.
Hülkenberg himself describes the successful defence as a “small miracle” and even receives praise for it from the driver immediately behind him. “Yes, that was a minor miracle. It took everything I had to pull it off,” said Hülkenberg after the race.
With ten to 15 laps to go, he wasn’t yet sure whether he could actually keep Russell behind him. However, he then found a better rhythm whilst simultaneously closing the gap to Liam Lawson ahead of him. This allowed him to benefit from slipstream on the straights, which helped him defend his position.
For Audi, the result was a significant reward for a strong weekend. Hülkenberg himself speaks of a “very clean weekend” – with the exception of the first free practice session. “I didn’t put a foot wrong, for once. Got through it cleanly,” jokes the German. “A nice reward for everyone in the team to come away with six points here. A good sip from the bottle for us.”
Russell praises Hülkenberg’s defence
The fact that Hülkenberg kept Russell behind him right to the finish line was by no means a foregone conclusion. Although the Mercedes driver closed the gap in the closing stages, he couldn’t find a way past. When asked why he couldn’t get past an Audi in his Mercedes – a car that should normally be easier to overtake – Russell gave a clear answer.
“He defended very well,” the Briton explained to Sky. Especially on a street circuit like Singapore, overtaking manoeuvres in the final laps carry considerable risks. “Towards the end, it wasn’t worth the risk for one or two points,” says Russell. Hülkenberg did his job very well.
Hülkenberg, too, knew that the final stages would be tricky. At first, he didn’t believe he could keep Russell behind him for the long haul. But before that, the German had already benefited from a good start. “Not just at the start, but also on the first lap, I had a good feeling and an instinct for where I needed to go,” explains Hülkenberg.
On the inside of Turn 1 and coming out of it, he gained another position. This laid the foundation for a race in which he had to hold his own against the closely matched Racing Bulls and Alpine.
Audi celebrates a significant weekend
At Audi, there is understandably great delight at Hülkenberg’s performance. Racing Director Allan McNish describes the race as one of the German’s best performances ever. “It was one of the best races I’ve seen Nico drive. He was outstanding from start to finish and did a fantastic job of securing the points for us,” explains McNish.
The six points are important in the battle for positions in the championship. Furthermore, McNish highlighted that this was the first time Audi had scored points in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix. This is a very positive sign for the whole team and a testament to the work done over the weekend.
However, Sunday was not entirely without its downsides. Gabriel Bortoleto retired early on due to a suspected gearbox problem. “That makes the result a bit of a mixed bag for the team,” admits McNish. However, he says this should take nothing away from Hülkenberg’s strong performance.
For Audi, the main priority now is to build on this momentum. McNish emphasises that the result is important not only because of the points, but also because of the momentum it creates ahead of the upcoming races. The team performed well in both qualifying and the races and can build on that.
Progress – but a familiar problem remains
Hülkenberg also had to deal with a technical issue over the weekend: the temperatures of the power unit. Even before the race, Audi had had concerns about the temperatures given the conditions in Singapore. The German was unable to give the all-clear.
“I think we’re still seeing the problem; we’re still suffering from it. It’s not good, but I believe this circuit is less sensitive to engine power,” explains Hülkenberg. That is why the problem was less of a hindrance than it had been previously in Malaysia. “But it’s still there and something we’ll have to tackle in future.”