Hülkenberg warns ahead of Madring debut: “We must be prepared for anything”

In the end, he was just 19 thousandths of a second short: Nico Hülkenberg had to settle for eleventh place in qualifying at the Madring because he failed to make it through to Q3, where the top ten from the final practice session battle it out for the top ten grid positions. The experienced German Formula 1 driver reacted calmly to the missed opportunity to secure a better starting position for the Grand Prix debut on the new street circuit.

The Audi works driver commented in his usual matter-of-fact manner: “It was very close, but unfortunately we found ourselves on the wrong side. As expected, qualifying was tough for all of us. It’s a difficult circuit, and putting in a good lap is correspondingly tricky. Things didn’t go well enough in the second qualifying session, and that’s why it wasn’t enough in the end.”

Looking ahead to the race, the 39-year-old said: “This is our first Grand Prix on this circuit, and it will all depend on what happens with the tyres. It will also play a major role whether we experience any incidents. So it could just as easily be a chaotic race as a steady one – we simply don’t know.”

“But we have to be prepared for anything. We have to stay out of trouble, keep clear of the barriers and the other cars, and simply put in a clean race,” said the 2015 Le Mans winner, who is making his 263rd Grand Prix start at the Madring. “First and foremost, it’s about surviving. And that’s why we’ll prepare well now and then fight hard in the race.”

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