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In what was a very frank assessment of Nico Hulkenberg, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu feels that it's tough to claim the German as a world champion-level driver. Hulkenberg has been in Formula 1 since 2010, when he made his debut with Williams. The German was rated very highly by insiders when he made his debut.
What made it even more interesting was to see Nico Hulkenberg having the same manager Michael Schumacher had when he debuted in F1. The German has since had very impressive years in Formula 1, with quite a few standout drives. In 2010, he secured his first career pole position with Williams.
At the 2012 Brazilian GP, Hulkenberg contested for the win in a Force India against the McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. However, things never clicked, as Nico Hulkenberg never got a shot with any of the top teams.
After being booted off the grid in 2019, the German got a second shot at F1 in 2023 with Haas and has impressed once again. The driver has had two strong seasons with the American team and will move to Sauber in 2025 to be a part of Audi's F1 project.
However, is Nico Hulkenberg a world champion-caliber driver? Team principal Ayao Komatsu doesn't think so. Talking to AMuS, even though Komatsu was complimentary of the German, he said about his championship credentials:
"Nico is a great driver. But I wouldn’t talk about the World Championship title.
"He doesn’t even have a podium to his name yet. Something like that has to happen step by step. After his first podium finishes and victories, a driver first has to prove that he can deliver these performances consistently."
He added:
"I don’t want to belittle Nico, but I can’t stand here and claim that he has the qualities of a world champion when he hasn’t even been on the podium yet!”
Nico Hulkenberg is one of the top drivers in F1: Ayao Komatsu
Ayao Komatsu did, however, say that Nico Hulkenberg is one of the top drivers in F1. If he has the right car, he could fight for podiums and wins. Admitting that he would miss working with the German, Komatsu said:
“Is he one of the top drivers in Formula 1? Absolutely! If he has the right car, he can definitely compete for podiums and victories."
He added:
“I love working with him. He always speaks his mind honestly, and clearly, he pushes the team in the right direction. I will definitely miss Nico.”
The German moves to Sauber next season, the team that will become Audi in 2026. Hulkenberg has been signed on a multi-year contract by the German brand and will hope that he can end his career there and break his streak of non podium finishes.
