Nico Hülkenberg “happy in new F1 home”, but lack of podium record looms

Nico Hülkenberg has declared that he is “happy in my new home” at the Renault Formula 1 team, but the German racer is another driver heading into the 2017 season with something to prove.

Hülkenberg has started 115 F1 races and is yet to score his first podium finish. He is currently third on the all-time list of most grand prix starts without a top three result, behind Pierluigi Martini (118) and Adrian Sutil (128).

The 29-year-old has only won one race since 2009 – although that single triumph was his famous victory aboard a Porsche World Endurance Championship car at the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours – and his last championship win was the GP2 series, also in 2009.

For much of his F1 career, Hülkenberg has been viewed by many paddock observers as a potential star and future championship contender – a position that was reinforced by his eye catching pole position for Williams at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix and the string of good results he produced during his single campaign for Sauber in 2013.

But after re-joining Force India at the start of 2014 (he had already raced for the Silverstone-based squad in 2012 after spending 2011 as its test driver), Hülkenberg did not hit the same high notes as he did earlier in his career. His best result in the last three F1 seasons was fourth at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ recent dominance of F1 has ensured that the top two podium spots have been regularly out of reach, and Ferrari and Red Bull (and Williams in 2014 and 2015) have usually fought it out for third place – or the win if Mercedes has slipped up.

But Hülkenberg’s team-mate during that period, Sergio Perez, did manage to score four podiums, and last year became the first Force India driver to break the 100-points barrier.

The 2017 season is Hülkenberg’s first year with a works F1 squad, and the Renault seats were coveted by plenty of drivers last year despite the team being largely off the pace due to the lack of resources given to what became the RS16 when it was designed by Lotus.

Ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Hülkenberg described how he has settled in at the Enstone-based squad and offered his thoughts on where he believes the team is in terms of pace.

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He said: “There’s a lot that’s new, but the game is still the same. I feel happy in my new home and there was a lot to learn over testing, whether it be new names and faces or a new steering wheel, but everything has been positive. Importantly, the new cars are bloody fast and a lot of fun!

“In terms of performance I see us in the midfield at the moment but the pace is good and from here we can improve step by step and work our way up. It’s going to be a tough fight as there are some very fast and well-established teams currently ahead of us, but we have everything we need to fight for points. It should be a good season.”

Hülkenberg clearly still possesses a blistering turn of speed and driving skill, which he demonstrated by claiming third place (which became second after Nico Rosberg’s gearbox penalty) on the grid for the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix in challenging wet-to-dry circumstances at the Red Bull Ring.

But as Renault is yet to show that it can challenge for top three finishes – its stated aim was to get back to the podium in 2018, the third year of its F1 return – it seems likely that Hülkenberg will end the year possessing the most-starts-without-a-podium record outright.

However, if he can show well against his new teammate Jolyon Palmer and deliver more of his pre-2014 F1 performances, things will bode well for his future in the sport.

Renault is continuing its investment and recruitment plan and the RS17 is the first car it has truly designed in its comeback as a full works outfit. A seat in a manufacturer team gaining strength is a good to place to be for a driver eying a golden second act for their F1 career.