Nico Hülkenberg has experienced a season of mixed results in his 2025 F1 season with Kick Sauber. Sitting 10th in the drivers’ standings with 37 points, he has delivered some standout performances, including a podium finish at Silverstone, while also facing recurring difficulties in qualifying. His rookie teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, sits 18th with 18 points but has managed to qualify ahead of Hülkenberg in 11 of the 18 qualifying sessions so far.
Simulator preferences: a personal choice
Hülkenberg shared his perspective on simulators, which have become a critical part of preparation in Formula 1. Drivers can learn track layouts, practice car setups, and memorise driving lines, which help maximise performance.
When asked why he does not have a home simulator or spend extensive hours in one like some of his peers, he said, “I think it’s a mix of different reasons, obviously a completely different generation. When I was a teenager, I sometimes had a PlayStation or Xbox, but I never really fell in love with it. It never really clicked for me. It was never a love story. So I did bids in and out, but never crazy about it. And I think it’s very personal. Some people really like doing it, like Max and him [Bortoleto], for example. They love it, they live for it, which is also good. I think for them it really does something and helps and somehow trains them more. But for me, it just never clicked.”
Despite this, Hülkenberg does not feel unprepared: No, I mean we do the sim stuff in Hinwil from the team simulators, so I don’t feel unprepared coming here.”
Battling Q1
While Hülkenberg has shown strong race pace, particularly at Silverstone, where he converted a poor starting position of 19th into a podium finish, qualifying has often been a challenge. He explained, “No, I think it’s true. I think qualis have been difficult this year. I think it goes back to the car and the car characteristics on the limit. I don’t quite feel that good with it, that comfortable. I’m missing a bit of confidence,” he admits. “And that’s obviously difficult, especially now in this year when the midfield is so tight.”
“And the difference between making it out of Q1 is sometimes… Well, usually it is a few hundredths or a tenth,” Hülkenberg explained, as so far this year, he has been eliminated in Q1 in 12 of the 18 qualifying sessions. “That’s always what it is. And then if you don’t have that last bit of confidence, you miss out. And that’s why I found myself quite often in that situation this year. So it’s just a topic of work in progress. Continue to keep at it. Try to be as good and as clean every time in qualis and just extract the maximum.”
Car evolution and confidence
Hülkenberg confirmed that his feeling behind the wheel has remained consistent as the car has evolved this year, saying, “No, I think it’s been there consistently.”
He added that while practice and set-up work help refine balance and handling, the challenge is ultimately about confidence. “Well, you always work on the set-up and try to optimise the balance and feeling. But it’s not something which is directly linked to the set-up. It’s just a feeling and confidence.”
