Nico Hülkenberg on his chances with Audi: “On paper, that’s good for us”

The current state of affairs for Nico Hülkenberg (38) in the entertaining 2026 Formula 1 World Championship: ten Grand Prix weekends, zero points. Statistically speaking, the Hungaroring is not exactly the best circuit for Hülki to turn this poor run of form around.

Whilst Nico secured a fine sixth place on his maiden appearance in Hungary in 2010 with Williams, he has only scored points once in his subsequent ten World Championship races at the Hungaroring – ten years ago (2016) in (you’ve guessed it) 10th place.

But there is a glimmer of hope for Nico. Firstly, Gabriel Bortoleto has secured two solid eighth-place finishes in the last two races at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps; furthermore, the Audi chassis is regarded as one of the best on the grid, and the Hungaroring is less of an engine-dependent circuit and more of a chassis-dependent one.

Hülkenberg, who has made 259 Grand Prix starts, said in the Hungaroring paddock: “We’re hoping for a strong weekend. Compared to England and Belgium, this is a circuit where raw engine power matters less and a solid chassis matters more, and we’re well placed in that respect. On paper, that’s good for Audi, but ultimately you never know for sure until the first few laps.”

Formula 1’s buzzword of the year: energy management. “That’ll be less of an issue here than it was recently at Spa,” says Nico. “The Hungaroring isn’t as extreme as Monte Carlo, where it wasn’t an issue at all; you do have to pay a bit of attention to it, but certainly not as much as in Belgium or, before that, at Silverstone. So we’ll have more electrical energy to attack and defend with.”

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As for his own season, Hülkenberg says: “It’s not been easy; I haven’t been particularly lucky, but we’ve got solid pace – Gabriel has proven that. We’re holding our own in the midfield. We’re putting up a brave fight and are currently locked in a good battle with the Racing Bulls. Sometimes they’re faster, sometimes we are.”