German Formula One driver Nico Hülkenberg has been announced as Mick Schumacher’s replacement by American Formula One team Haas. He will partner Kevin Magnussen for the 2023 Formula One season.
Hülkenberg, who has 181 race starts and is a Le Mans winner, made his Formula One debut in 2010 with Williams. Since then, he has raced for Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point and Aston Martin. A former GP2 Series winner in 2009 and Formula 3 Euro Series champion in 2008, there is no dearth of experience with Hülkenberg.
With Hülkenberg on boarded, Haas aim to move up the midfield with an experienced driver pairing of the German and Kevin Magnussen.
Hülkenberg last raced as a full-time driver with Renault in 2019. Since then, he has made substitute appearances for Racing Point and Aston Martin.
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas Formula One Team, said:
“I’m naturally very pleased to be welcoming Nico Hülkenberg back to a full-time racing role in Formula 1. The experience and knowledge base Nico brings to the team is clear to see – with nearly 200 career starts in Formula 1 – and a reputation as being a great qualifier and a solid, reliable racer. These are attributes, which when you pair them together with Kevin Magnussen’s experience, gives us a very credible and well-seasoned driver line-up which we believe will help push the team onwards up the grid.
“That’s obviously the goal and it was that ambition that has prompted Nico’s return to Formula 1 – he shares our vision and can be a key player together with the rest of the team in building on the foundations we’ve laid this year with our return to the points battle.“
Nico Hülkenberg commented:
“I’m very happy to move into a full-time race seat with Haas F1 Team in 2023. I feel like I never really left Formula 1. I’m excited to have the opportunity to do what I love the most again and want to thank Gene Haas and Günther Steiner for their trust. We have work ahead of us to be able to compete with all the other teams in the midfield, and I cannot wait to join that battle again.“
Hülkenberg will be joining the team following the conclusion of the 2022 Formula One season on November 22, 2022, and will take part in the end-of-season Formula One test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where he will be driving the Haas VF-22.
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