Nico Hülkenberg (Audi/11th): What will be decisive in the Barcelona GP

Different country, different type of circuit, different set-up, different practice sequence, but one constant remains - Nico Hülkenberg in 11th place.

The German GP rookie had to watch the first practice session because Audi gave the Estonian Paul Aron a stint. In the second practice session, Nico ended up in his regular position.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known as a tyre eater, and the drivers promptly complained about the worrying degradation of their Pirelli tyres.

Nico says: "This is the result of the high temperatures and a track that kneads a lot of energy into the tyres with its fast bends. It's going to be a degradation festival on Sunday."

"And even in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, it will be hard work to keep the tyres alive. For me, Barcelona is the first hot weekend of the year, and with it come the usual challenges."

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Audi was one of the racing teams that were in action here in the winter, but that is of little value according to the 38-year-old from Emmerich: "We drove a transitional car back then. That hardly allows a comparison."

"Generally speaking, when the track temperature is 50 degrees or more, the car never feels good. I'm happy with my performance in free practice, we're swimming well in the midfield and are roughly where we usually are."