Le Mans Winner · Formula 1

Nico Hülkenberg

A pole position in his rookie season, an outright Le Mans win on his first attempt, and 239 Grands Prix before a podium. The official Hülkenberg collection: Interlagos, La Sarthe, and Silverstone.

Nationality
German
Born
19 August 1987 · Emmerich am Rhein, Germany
Teams
Williams · Force India · Sauber · Renault · Racing Point · Aston Martin · Haas · Kick Sauber · Audi
Podiums
1 (2025)
Car number
27
Also won
24 Hours of Le Mans (2015)
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg wearing his black, white, and red Haas racing suit, featuring his black and white race car and name lettering against a whi
Maiden Podium, Silverstone 2025
2010 — Present
260
Grand Prix Starts
624
Career Points
1
Podium Finish
7th
Best Championship Finish

Who is Nico Hülkenberg?

Nico Hülkenberg (born 19 August 1987) is a German Formula 1 driver who races for Audi. He has one podium finish, one pole position and 624 points from 260 starts across nine teams. His podium came at the 2025 British Grand Prix in his 239th race, the longest wait for a top-three finish in the sport's history. He also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2015.

Full name
Nicolas Hülkenberg
Nationality
German
F1 career
2010, 2012–present
Best known for
Winning Le Mans, and a podium at the 239th attempt

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 7 sources

Rider Profile

Nico Hülkenberg: Full Biography

Nico Hülkenberg is a German racing driver who has started 260 Grands Prix for nine different Formula 1 teams. He races for Audi, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2015.

The Junior Champion He won every championship he contested on the way up — Formula BMW ADAC in 2005, the A1 Grand Prix season with Team Germany, the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2008 and GP2 at the first attempt in 2009. Williams gave him a Formula 1 seat for 2010.

Pole, and No Podium He took pole position at Interlagos in his rookie season, in changing conditions, and then spent thirteen years in the midfield with Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin and Haas. Seventh in the 2018 championship was his best finish. He also raced at Le Mans in 2015 on a weekend away from Formula 1 and won it outright with Porsche, at the first attempt.

Silverstone The podium finally came in July 2025, in his 239th start. Nineteenth on the grid at a rain-affected British Grand Prix, he finished third and held off Lewis Hamilton — Sauber’s first podium in thirteen years, and the end of the longest wait for a top-three finish in the sport’s history. The team became Audi for 2026.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Nico Hülkenberg

Chapter 01

Pole at Interlagos

He arrived at Williams in 2010 having won GP2 at the first attempt, and at Interlagos in November he put the car on pole position in changing conditions — a rookie ahead of both Red Bulls and both Ferraris in a car that had not started a race from the front all year. It remains the only pole of his career. Williams dropped him at the end of the season.

Nico Hülkenberg driving his Williams at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix Williams · Canada, 2010 Photo: Nico Hülkenberg, Williams — 2010 Canadian Grand Prix by Gregory Moine / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Le Mans, First Time

In June 2015 he took a weekend away from Formula 1, shared a Porsche 919 Hybrid with Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright at the first attempt. The No. 19 car completed 395 laps and finished one lap clear of the sister Porsche. He was back in the Force India for the next Grand Prix.

Nico Hülkenberg, Earl Bamber, and Nick Tandy's winning No. 19 Porsche 919 Hybrid at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans. Porsche 919 Hybrid No. 19 · Le Mans, 2015 Photo: Nico Hülkenberg's victorious No. 19 Porsche 919 Hybrid by Jean-Jacques Abalain from Melgven (près de Concarneau) — CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 03

Two Hundred and Thirty-Nine

Thirteen seasons and nine teams had passed without a top-three finish — the longest such run in Formula 1 history. At a rain-affected British Grand Prix in July 2025 he started nineteenth, took a strategy call that fell right, and came home third, holding off Lewis Hamilton over the closing laps. It was Sauber's first podium in thirteen years and, at the 239th attempt, his first.

Nico Hülkenberg driving his number 27 Kick Sauber at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix weekend Kick Sauber · Austria, 2025 Photo: Nico Hülkenberg, Kick Sauber — 2025 Austrian Grand Prix by Lukas Raich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Nico Hülkenberg Career Timeline: 1987–Present

Born in Emmerich

Nicolas Hülkenberg is born on 19 August in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Formula BMW Champion

Wins the Formula BMW ADAC championship in his first season in cars.

A1 Grand Prix

Wins the A1 Grand Prix season driving for Team Germany.

Formula 3 Euro Series

Takes the European Formula 3 title with ART.

GP2 Champion

Wins the GP2 Series at the first attempt and signs for Williams.

Rookie Pole

Debuts in Bahrain and takes pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix in changing conditions.

Force India

Returns to a race seat and sets a fastest lap on his way to eleventh overall.

Le Mans Winner

Wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright with Porsche on his first entry.

Career-Best Seventh

Finishes seventh in the World Drivers' Championship with Renault.

The Substitute

Called up three times by Racing Point, twice at a day's notice.

Haas

Returns to a full-time seat after two seasons largely on the sidelines.

Silverstone

Third at the British Grand Prix from nineteenth, a maiden podium in his 239th start.

Audi

Continues as the team becomes Audi's works Formula 1 entry.

By the Numbers

Nico Hülkenberg F1 Career Record, Season by Season

Nico Hülkenberg season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2010 Williams 0 1 0 22 14
2012 Force India 0 0 0 63 11
2013 Sauber 0 0 0 51 10
2014 Force India 0 0 0 96 9
2015 Force India 0 0 0 58 10
2016 Force India 0 0 0 72 9
2017 Renault 0 0 0 43 10
2018 Renault 0 0 0 69 7
2019 Renault 0 0 0 37 14
2020 Racing Point 0 0 0 10 15
2022 Aston Martin 0 0 0 0 22
2023 Haas 0 0 0 9 16
2024 Haas 0 0 0 41 11
2025 Sauber 0 0 1 51 11
2026 Audi 0 0 0 2 18

Career totals: 0 wins · 1 pole position · 1 podium · 2 fastest laps · 624 points from 260 Grand Prix starts (265 entries). He was a test or reserve driver in 2011 and 2021 and did not start a race in either year; his 2020 and 2022 entries were substitute appearances. Points are not comparable across the table, as the scoring system and the number of races per season both changed. The 2026 season is still in progress; figures verified 14 August 2026.

Nico Hülkenberg in his own words

In His Own Words
You've got to be there when the opportunity presents itself, because the race is not over until it's over.
Nico Hülkenberg · official Formula 1 driver profile
Frequently Asked

Nico Hülkenberg: Frequently Asked Questions

Has Nico Hülkenberg won a Formula 1 race?

No. He has one podium finish, third at the 2025 British Grand Prix, and one pole position, at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix. He has started 260 Grands Prix without a victory.

Why is Nico Hülkenberg's 2025 British Grand Prix podium significant?

It came in his 239th start and ended the longest run without a top-three finish in Formula 1 history. He started nineteenth in a rain-affected race, finished third and held off Lewis Hamilton. It was also Sauber's first podium in thirteen years.

Did Nico Hülkenberg win Le Mans?

Yes. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2015, sharing a Porsche 919 Hybrid with Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, on his first entry. He raced it on a weekend away from his Formula 1 commitments with Force India.

Which teams has Nico Hülkenberg driven for?

Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin, Haas, and Sauber again as it became Audi — nine constructors in total across his career.

When did Nico Hülkenberg take pole position?

At the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, in his rookie season with Williams. Changing conditions in qualifying let him beat both Red Bulls and both Ferraris. It is the only pole of his career.

What was Nico Hülkenberg's best championship season?

2018, when he finished seventh in the World Drivers' Championship with Renault on 69 points. His highest single-season points total was 96, in 2014 with Force India.

Why is Nico Hülkenberg called the Hulk?

It is a play on his surname, and it stuck early in his Formula 1 career. Formula 1's own driver profile refers to him as F1's 'Hulk'.

What did Nico Hülkenberg win before Formula 1?

Formula BMW ADAC in 2005, the A1 Grand Prix season with Team Germany, the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2008 and the GP2 Series in 2009 — the last at the first attempt.

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Nico Hülkenberg Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Nico Hulkenberg — official driver profile · Formula1.com (official)
  2. Nico Hülkenberg — season-by-season statistics · StatsF1
  3. Nico Hülkenberg driver database · Motor Sport Magazine
  4. 24 Hours of Le Mans — official site · Automobile Club de l'Ouest (official)
  5. Sauber Group — official site · Sauber Group (official)
  6. Nico Hülkenberg · Wikipedia
  7. Nico Hülkenberg (Q76547) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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