2024 F1 mid-season driver rankings #6: Nico Hulkenberg · RaceFans

Returning to the grand prix grid after three full seasons away in 2023 with only sporadic one-off appearances as a reserve driver over that time, few expected anything special from Nico Hulkenberg’s return to the grid with Haas.

But in his first full year back in the sport since 2019, Hulkenberg impressed many by being the best performer and higher scorer out of him and Kevin Magnussen – even if neither could prevent the team from slipping to the bottom of the standings.

So far in 2024, Hulkenberg has only become better than last year. So much so, he may be the most outstanding driver among the lower five teams in the championship.

It’s fair to say that Hulkenberg has comprehensively outperformed his team mate so far this season. Across the 13 rounds in which both he and Magnussen have finished, Hulkenberg has only failed to be the lead Haas in the first round in Bahrain and the last race before the break in Belgium. The qualifying battle between the pair is no contest either – with Hulkenberg up by an eyebrow-raising score of 11-3 so far this season.

But as well as showing his team mate a clean pair of heels more often than not, Hulkenberg has been consistently in and around the top of the midfield. Between the second round in Jeddah and round ten in Spain, Hulkenberg’s finishing record was almost metronomic in consistency: tenth, ninth, eleventh, tenth, eleventh, eleventh, retired, eleventh, eleventh. Even just one or two retirements from the top teams could have seen Hulkenberg recording far more than just the six top ten finishes he’s already achieved on Sundays so far this season.

Hulkenberg’s well-rounded skillset sees him show up on both Saturdays and Sundays. He has reached Q3 just under half the time over the season so far – an impressive ratio for someone driving for a team that finished last in the previous year’s championship. Although he hasn’t had any blockbuster performances where he was the best in the field, he’s succeeded in going through the first half of the season without any poor weekends where he deserved to come away unhappy with the work he had put in or ended his race through an avoidable error – something that can’t be said for many of those ahead of him in the standings.

Instead, Hulkenberg’s consistency and usually dependable race pace have allowed him to make the most of the opportunities that have come…