iGR//F1//Drivers//Nico Hulkenberg
AUDI // CAR #27 // GER

NICO
HULKENBERG
car 27

The most experienced F1 driver never to take a podium. Until 2025, when he finally scored one at Silverstone.

Titles
0
Race wins
0
Podiums
1
Poles
1
239 STARTS

The longest wait finally over.

For 15 years Nico Hulkenberg held a record nobody wants: most F1 starts without a podium. Then Silverstone happened.

Hulkenberg is one of the great nearly-men of F1. He took a shock pole in the wet for Williams in 2010 as a rookie. He was fast, reliable, and respected. He even won the Le Mans 24 Hours on his only attempt. But the podium in Formula 1 just would not come, race after race, team after team, year after year.

At the 2025 British Grand Prix, driving for Sauber, he finally did it. He climbed from 19th on the grid to third in changing conditions, scoring his first F1 podium after a record 239 starts, and the team's first since 2012. There were not even enough champagne bottles ready. Now he leads the new Audi works team in 2026 with that monkey off his back.

For the fans

This is one of the most heart-warming moments in recent F1. A good guy who waited a decade and a half and never gave up, finally getting his day in the sun.

Punter's angle

Hulkenberg is a reliable, experienced operator, which makes him a solid beat-teammate pick against a young partner. In a new Audi project, podiums will be rare, so his value sits in points props and qualifying head-to-heads, not in win or podium markets.

Read nextThe Audi story  /  Gabriel Bortoleto

02 / 04 // FACTS

The file.

Born
19/08/1987Emmerich, DE
Nationality
Germany
Career starts
238
Fastest laps
2
BIOGRAPHY

In their own words.

Nicolas Hülkenberg (German pronunciation: , born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver, who is contracted to compete in Formula One for Sauber. He was the 2009 champion of the GP2 Series, and is a previous champion of both the Formula 3 Euro Series and A1 Grand Prix, as part of A1 Team Germany. He is one of three drivers since 2005 to win the GP2 series championship in his debut season, the others being Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hülkenberg raced in Formula One in 2010 with the Williams team. Despite winning the first pole position for Williams in over 5 years he was not retained for 2011, and joined Force India as a test and reserve driver. He was promoted to a race seat with the team for the 2012 season, joining Paul di Resta. In 2013 he drove for the Sauber team, with Mexican driver Esteban Gutiérrez as his team-mate. Hülkenberg returned to Force India for the 2014 season.
Twitter / X
CAREER

Career trail.

// Honours and titles

2 honours

From the SportsDB honours record. Junior and senior categories combined.

2008
FIA European Formula 3 ChampionshipForce India
CHAMPION
2009
FIA GP2 SeriesForce India
CHAMPION
// Former teams

5 teams

Career path before the current seat.

2010
WilliamsLeft 2010
FORMER
2010
WilliamsLeft 2010
FORMER
2011
Force IndiaLeft 2012
FORMER
2013
SauberLeft
FORMER
2014
Force IndiaLeft 2016
FORMER
FAQ

Quick questions.

How old is Nico Hulkenberg?

39 years old. Born 19/08/1987 in Emmerich, DE.

How many F1 wins does Hulkenberg have?

0 race wins across 238 career starts, with 1 podium finishes and 1 pole positions.

What team does Hulkenberg drive for?

Audi Revolut F1 Team. Car number 27. Open team profile.

Where can I bet on Hulkenberg podium finishes?

We compare Hulkenberg podium markets across our SA partner books on every race preview page. Open Punters Edge hub.