Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg explains how a sabbatical from F1 was a 'positive' for him

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg claims that taking a long sabbatical from F1 from 2020 to 2023 helped him develop a 'new perspective' on the sport. The German driver replaced fellow compatriot Mick Schumacher at the American outfit for the 2023 season and will feature on this year's grid.

Hulkenberg raced for Renault in the 2019 season but failed to get his contract extended the following year. However, the 35-year-old made five appearances as a substitute for drivers who were COVID-19 stricken during these three years.

Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher was dropped from the American team after he was routinely outclassed by his much older teammate Kevin Magnussen, who joined the team at the beginning of the 2022 season. Hulkenberg claimed that while F1's winter break can seem like a long time, one needs to properly take a break from the sport to truly reflect.

The Haas driver told Autosport:

"It's been very positive for me. 2019 was not always great. I felt I wanted that time away at that point. And then once you step away, you also develop a different understanding and new perspectives on how things went, what you've done. You reflect on many things, and process the whole thing. Even a winter break, you think three months is a lot – it's actually not, because you're still connected, you still do work. And the time properly away has I think helped me a lot."

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Nico Hulkenberg is realistic about his goals with Haas in 2023

2023 F1 returnee Nico Hulkenberg has claimed he has to be realistic about his goals with Haas next year. The German driver will replace Mick Schumacher at the American outfit, returning to the sport in a full-time capacity for the first time since 2019.

Hulkenberg was called on by Guenther Steiner and Co. to replace Schumacher. Now much wiser at the age of 35, Nico Hulkenberg claims he wants to maximize his team's performance in 2023. The German claims to have realistic expectations for 2023 and is looking forward to returning to the sport.

He told the media:

"I think you've got to be realistic about [your] dreams and goals. For me, [the goal] is to just maximise what we have. Obviously [it depends] on how competitive the package is that you race, but there are always circumstances for opportunities so you can get lucky some day. But I think we just need to maximise every race weekend to leave nothing on the table and to score the best possible result."

This is perhaps Nico Hulkenberg's last chance to impress in F1. It will be interesting to see if he fares better than Mick Schumacher with Haas.