Will Hulkenberg's fairytale ever get a happy end?

Many racing drivers would proverbially kill for it: winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nico Hulkenberg managed it, in 2015, the year he competed in Formula 1 for Force India. It was the time when an F1 driver could get into a Porsche on his free weekend without any problems, and moreover achieve the ultimate in endurance racing. On the podium in the French city, he stood spouting a big bottle of champagne.

Hulkenberg is record holder

THERE it is. In Formula 1, Hulkenberg has never succeeded, although there were plenty of attempts. Hulkenberg is the undisputed record holder when it comes to having driven Grands Prix and never having stood on the podium. Since the last GP held in Belgium, the number stands at 196 Grand Prix weekends (193 starts). Moreover, the German is the driver with the most points in Formula 1 (530) without a single victory to go with it.

Not that Hulkenberg never came close to the podium. In 2010, for instance, he took full advantage of the changing conditions during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix. There was no better starting spot than first, but from pole the Hulk failed to repeat his feat a day later on a dry track. He finished seventh with the Williams. Or think back to that very wet 2019 German Grand Prix, where the fourth-placed Hulkenberg crashed while fighting his way back to the second place the home driver occupied moments before.

'A bit frustrating'

After the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, Hulkenberg spoke to the media present (not for the first time) about continually missing out on the podium. " If you think about it, of course it's a bit frustrating," he said, quoted by Bild. At the same time, there was the nuance: "I don't think I would have made 200 Grands Prix in Formula 1 if I was that bad. So I must also have something good in me."

The 36 candles have no doubt been blown out, perhaps silently wishing whether a higher power would grant him the view from an F1 podium one day after all. Because yes, it takes a lot for Hulkenberg to ever finish among the top three at a Grand Prix. His Haas F1 is regularly top during qualifying - see the fourth starting spot for the Sprint at Spa - but once in a race, the car sinks way back into the backfield. Meanwhile, the Haas team has 156 Grands Prix behind it, but in 312 attempts, the Americans have never been on the podium. It will take a new wonder of the world to change that anytime soon.

Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, drives his races tirelessly. He doesn't let himself go crazy. Who knows too? Fernando Alonso is living proof that even after the age of 40 you can suddenly join a competitive team and compete for podium places. Whether Hulkenberg will get that chance? He is probably already happy that Haas gave him the chance to continue his unfinished F1 fairytale early this season. What is certain in any case is that his chances of finishing on the podium are getting smaller by the week, as well as his record run becoming more impressive.