Damon Hill has suggested that top Formula 1 teams turned down the chance to sign Nico Hulkenberg because he’s too big.
Nico Hulkenberg was the hero of qualifying in Bahrain after putting his Haas in the top ten but undid that good work heading into the first corner of the race.
Speaking after his fantastic lap in Sakhir on Sky Sports News, Hill shared what he’s heard about the 36-year-old.
Hill says Hulkenberg was rejected by top teams for being too big
Nico Hulkenberg has had a long but unspectacular career in Formula 1.
The German was given his first opportunity in 2010 with Williams after winning GP2 the previous year with ART Grand Prix.
He lost his seat to Pastor Maldonado the following year, becoming Force India’s test driver and then replacing Adrian Sutil in 2012.
Hulkenberg spent three more years with the team – via a solitary campaign with Sauber – before joining Renault.
He achieved his highest finish in the Drivers’ Championship with the French team (7) but lost his seat in 2020, becoming a super sub across the grid for the next three years.
Hill has now explained that the Hulkenberg – who currently races for Haas – was never given a chance by the top teams because he was too big.
He’s reportedly six-foot-tall, which makes him shorter than George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon.
However, it might be his build that’s more of an issue than just how tall he is.
Size possibly not the only reason Hulkenberg has been overlooked
Speaking about the 36-year-old German ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hill said: “Great performance by Nico Hulkenberg.
“I was explaining to Naomi [Schiff] that in the past I’ve heard his name mentioned at some of the top teams and he was rejected basically on the grounds that he was basically just so big and actually he’s carrying a disadvantage because you can see next to Karun [Chandhok] there that he’s a big lad and that’s all weight from the waist up and that’s not what you want in a racing car. For him to do what he does shows he’s got a lot of talent.”
Hulkenberg has famously never finished on the podium in Formula 1 and it may not be just because he’s too big as Hill suggests that he hasn’t ever driven for a top team.
He’s very quick in qualifying, that’s undeniable, and his racecraft is decent.
But, as his old boss Guenther Steiner suggested, he’s always been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The former Haas team principal then suggested he should be an option for Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton leaves.
However, they may have a much quicker option on their radar…
The post ‘He was rejected’: Damon Hill says top F1 teams turned down 36-year-old driver because he’s ‘just so big’ appeared first on F1 Oversteer.