"I just wanted to come back because I missed the competition": $10M worth F1 driver on his return with Haas

Nico Hulkenberg recently touched upon why he made his Haas return after a three-year hiatus. Hulkenberg signed with the American team in 2023 and returned to the F1 grid after parting ways with Renault in 2019. Now, the German star revealed what made him make the comeback.

Haas called Hulkenberg in 2023 as they decided to bid Mick Schumacher goodbye at the end of 2022. The American team decided to bring in the German to have an experienced driver alongside Kevin Magnussen and strengthen their line-up.

Prior to this, the 36-year-old, who is worth $10 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth) was serving the role of a reserve and development driver at Racing Point, and the rebranded Aston Martin. In 2023, he arrived in Gene Haas' team and has been the standout driver for the Kannapolis-based team. Speaking to "The Race", Hulkenberg said,

"At the time, the Haas season started quite well in 2022. But then came to a bit of a stop. So, I knew I'm not signing up just for sunny days. And there's also going to be some bad days and some headwinds."

"I just wanted to come back because I missed the competition. I missed the work with the team. I missed the driving. All I really wanted to do is to come back and just to be the best version of myself," he added.

In his F1 career that spanned over a decade, Nico Hulkenberg registered 217 race starts and counting. Besides Haas and Renault, he raced for Williams, Sauber, and Force India (rebranded to Aston Martin).

However, Hulkenberg remains one of the few talented F1 drivers who has yet to claim a podium or a race win.

---

Nico Hulkenberg on his 'fairytale' journey in F1

Niko Hulkenberg of Haas F1 Team is walking during the driver's parade during the race of the Belgian GP. Source: Getty Images

Audi announced that they signed Nico Hulkenberg as their first driver after the German star decided to part ways mutually with Haas at the end of 2024. Hulkenberg will join Sauber in 2025, the team Audi is set to rebrand in 2026. Speaking about the switch, Hulkenberg said (via the aforementioned source):

"It's worked out for me, for Haas, for everyone. It's a good story. And also, with that Audi move now, a bit of a motorsport fairytale story. Because you could not expect that from being three years out to what has been written now. It's pretty cool. And I'm proud and happy about it."

As for the 2024 F1 season, Nico Hulkenberg has been the better driver at Haas. The German ace has claimed 22 points in 14 races, compared to his teammate Kevin Magnussen's five.