13/07/2025 18:10
Senior Audi F1 figure and three-time Le Mans winner Allan McNish
has pinpointed Nico Hulkenberg as an "unsung hero" after being
informed of a remarkable statistic. Following Hulkenberg's maiden
F1 podium in the British Grand Prix on his 239th start, it put the
German on more points across the last four races than Max
Verstappen. It is a statistic that indicates not only Hulkenberg's
staggering run of form, but also the difficulties being endured by
Verstappen and Red Bull. The statistic is also a sign of Stake
F1's growing momentum as he prepares to transition into Audi for
next year's new power unit regulations. In what is a significant
season for the Hinwil-based outfit, genuine progress is being made
with Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who scored his first
points in Austria. McNish, a senior consultant as part of Audi's
F1 project, has been hugely impressed by Hulkenberg's form over the
past couple of seasons, and has highlighted how beneficial the
37-year-old is to Bortoleto. When informed on an upcoming episode
of the RacingNews365 podcast that Hulkenberg has outscored
Verstappen across the past four races, a surprised McNish said: "Oh
really! I didn't know that. "Yeah, Nico has without question, I
think he's performed over all of the grand prix this year. I think
he's performed last year and the year before. If I'm very honest,
he's an unsung hero in reality. "And he's using his experience,
he's still got the speed, but he's using his guile and experience
very well. But also Gabby, in terms of the performances that he's
had and the breakthrough points that he got in Austria. "I think
that was really good because it's just the growth of the driver as
well, and he's able to lean and feed off Nico there. But I wasn't
aware of that particular stat, but it's a good one." The upcoming
episode of the RacingNews365 podcast featuring Allan McNish will be
available on all podcast platforms and YouTube on Monday 14 July!
