Nico Hulkenberg gave Audi plenty to cheer about in Singapore, following up his seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Sprint with an equally determined drive to eighth in Sunday’s Grand Prix, where experience, sharp instincts and some timely defensive driving proved a winning combination.
After suffering late-race disappointments in Baku and Sepang, when points slipped away on the final lap on both occasions, the German finally had a weekend that delivered the rewards his performances deserved.
Starting 10th after George Russell’s power unit penalty promoted him from his original qualifying position of P11, Hulkenberg immediately went on the offensive. He dispatched Pierre Gasly and Arvid Lindblad on the opening lap before settling into a productive afternoon chasing Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.
The challenge was far from straightforward, with the midfield tightly packed and Russell charging through the field from 19th on the grid.
But Hulkenberg kept his cool, managed his pace and made his Audi as difficult to overtake as possible when the pressure intensified in the closing stages.
Sharp ‘instincts’ provide the perfect launchpad
For the Hulk, the foundations of his strong result were laid in the opening corners, where a good start was followed by some decisive positioning in the early scramble.
“I think not just at the start, but I had a good lap one, a good feeling today, an instinct as to where to go,” he said.
“I think inside of Turn 2 and on the exit, I got another position. So yeah, that was nice and set us up for a good race.
“Obviously, all very close there with the Racing Bulls and the Alpine behind in terms of pace.”
©Audi
That early progress put the Audi driver in a position to fight for meaningful points rather than spend the afternoon wrestling his way through traffic.
With Lawson just ahead, Hulkenberg gradually found a rhythm that allowed him to remain in contention while also benefiting from the aerodynamic assistance of the car in front.
His attention then turned to an increasingly threatening presence in his mirrors. Russell had made impressive progress from the back of the grid and arrived in the closing laps with the pace to challenge for eighth, leaving Hulkenberg with little room for error.
“And then George at the end was a bit sketchy,” he admitted.
“I didn’t think at the beginning it would be possible, but then found a better rhythm and closed the gap to Liam and picked up a bit of an indirect tow, which really helps us on the straight to pick up a bit of straight line speed.”
That combination of improved rhythm and extra straight-line speed helped Hulkenberg keep Russell at bay. The Mercedes driver had the pace advantage, but the Audi man made sure that advantage counted for little when it mattered most.
McNish hails a masterclass in racecraft
Audi racing director Allan McNish was particularly impressed by the way Hulkenberg handled the final phase of the race, praising the German’s ability to defend firmly without crossing the line into over-defending.
“It was a really good weekend for him,” said the Scot.
“Today he just showed his width of experience, and also I would say his racing brain, because at the end, 10 laps with George, who was clearly quicker, and to be able to be quick at the right points in the circuit, defend well, but not over defend.
“And so I think he really played a really good game. And then ultimately was able to actually pull away from George, and start to catch up a wee bit on Lawson.”
For Audi, the result carried significance beyond the six championship points earned by an eighth-place finish.
After twice seeing points disappear on the final lap in recent races, the team finally had a Sunday afternoon in which its driver converted a strong performance into a tangible reward.
McNish acknowledged just how much Hulkenberg’s determination meant to the team, particularly after those painful near-misses.
“After the last two races, where we lost a point on the last lap twice, it was actually I think something that everybody in the garage appreciated, the defence that Nico had on it. He wasn’t going to lose that one,” he concluded.
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