After a spectacular scare at the Dutch Grand Prix, Nico Hülkenberg once again secured important World Championship points for Audi
The Dutch Grand Prix nearly turned into a disaster for Audi. After all, on the first lap, Nico Hülkenberg barely managed to swerve around his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in the final corner and avoid a serious collision. Instead, Hülkenberg secured another top-10 finish.
“That was pretty wild,” he said, reflecting on the chaotic start at Zandvoort. It had rained at the track about three-quarters of an hour before the race start, which is why some sections of the track were still relatively wet, while most of the track had already dried off before the race began.
A lot of water had collected in the steep curve at the end of the track in particular, which is why Max Verstappen ended up in the run-off area before the first lap was even over and had to retire from the race. Despite the mixed conditions, all drivers had started the Grand Prix on dry tires.
A close evasive maneuver between the Audis
Bortoleto himself narrowly avoided becoming a victim of these circumstances. “I was on the inside lane of the banking,” he explained after the race. “I jerked slightly to the left when I saw smoke ahead of me.”
Bortoleto was referring to Verstappen, who had crashed ahead of him. As a result, the Audi driver lost control of his R26 and spun once around his own axis. Even here, Bortoleto was lucky not to crash into the track barriers himself.
Teammate Hülkenberg was barely able to avoid the 21-year-old at the exit of the turn and, just a few meters before a potential collision, swerved left again, passing Bortoleto—who was veering right through a cloud of smoke. It was a lightning-fast reaction that Race Director Allan McNish also praised after the race.
Days of Thunder at Audi?
“That was a little too much Days of Thunder for my heart,” jokes the former Formula 1 driver. “But ultimately, both of them did a fantastic job there.”
Hülkenberg himself comments on the near-collision: “I wasn’t sure which way [Bortoleto] would go—whether he’d roll up or down. So I waited until the last moment and hesitated.”
“Then,” as Hülkenberg admits, “I was really lucky that we didn’t touch there. But it was very close.”
Due to the Verstappen crash, the race was initially halted. Both Audi drivers were able to participate in the restart, though Bortoleto had to give up a few positions on the new starting grid due to his spin on the first lap.
In the end, the 21-year-old finished in 13th place. Hülkenberg, on the other hand, was able to finish the Grand Prix in eighth place, securing his best result of the season. “Everything that didn’t go right on Friday and yesterday went well today,” Hülkenberg explained to Sky Sport F1 after the race.
While the Audi driver had to retire from Saturday’s sprint race due to technical issues, he was able to compete with the Racing Bulls, Alpines, and Williams in the Grand Prix. As a result, Hülkenberg is the top driver from a midfield team.