Nico Hülkenberg completed his 250th F1 Grand Prix in style, charging from P18 on the grid to finish the Abu Dhabi GP in P9 in the last race for the Sauber team, which will become Audi next season.
Sauber looked fast in the practice sessions ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, sparking hopes that the team could become a contender for the Top 10 spot in Qualifying. While Hülkenberg’s teammate Gabriel Bortoleto managed to enter the final shootout and qualify in P7, the German was, unfortunately, out in Q1 and had to start the final race of the F1 season from P18.
Starting on the soft tyre, Hülkenberg did not move through the field as expected, prompting an early stop for the hard compound tyre on Lap 7 of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. Extending his hard tyre stint, the Sauber driver gained positions before his second pit stop put him back in P18, where he started. With only 16 Laps to the race finish, Hülkenberg launched a brilliant recovery drive on the medium tyre to end the F1 Abu Dhabi GP in P9.
Hülkenberg benefited from penalties for Stroll and Bearman
By the last lap, Hülkenberg had fought his way back into P12; he overtook teammate Gabriel Bortoleto to cross the finish line in P11. Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman received 5-second time penalties for making more than one change of direction, which promoted the German driver to P9.
“Yeah, two guys obviously got some penalties,” Hülkenberg acknowledged the fact that the penalties for Stroll and Bearman helped him finish the race in the points.
Hülkenberg “happy” with the result of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
The 38-year-old was glad to have finished the season on a high note, only lamenting the performance in Qualifying for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. Hülkenberg reckons that a “clean” Qualifying session would have allowed him to challenge the leader of the midfield, Fernando Alonso, like his teammate Bortoleto.
“I mean, happy end after all for the season. I think it feels right because it’s the happy end, and I think the reward that the season deserves.
“Obviously, really a couple of good highlights from our side, which I’m very happy and pleased about. A few things also where we didn’t maximise the potential, as in yesterday as well. I think with a clean Qualy we could have fought Fernando [Alonso], which obviously Gabi [Bortoleto] was doing for most of the race.
“But, it is what it is. Happy from P18 to be in the points. I think it’s a very happy end and a good race.”
Late pit stop hampered chances in the final stint of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Hülkenberg served his last stop of the season at the end of Lap 42 of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. “I think so, yes,” Hülkenberg responded after being asked if an earlier stop would have helped his charge in the final stint. The Sauber driver added:
“But yeah, need to review. But I think a couple of laps earlier would have been quite handy at the end.”
With the two points from his P9 finish in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Hülkenberg finished the season on 51 points and eleventh in the Drivers’ Championship.
