A Star is Born: Oscar Piastri
July 22, 2024
He is the Superhero with the talent to become a racing star – if only he had the chance to flex his muscles with a top team. F1’s “Hulk” has shown incredible strength and endurance as a midfield warrior, competing for Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point, Aston Martin, Haas, and Kick Sauber since 2010.
In his rookie season, Hulkenberg mastered changing track conditions to claim a brilliant pole position in Brazil, proving he had brains as well as brawn. Since then, his ability to consistently collect points has made him a highly valued team player. In 2015, his reputation soared further when he won the classic 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche on his first attempt.
Off the track, Hulkenberg is down to earth – the kind of driver who holds his own umbrella when it rains on the way to the grid – and he has a cheeky sense of humor. When he reached the unwanted record for most races without a podium, he laughed it off, calling it the start of the “Hulkenberg era.”
Even after being let go by Renault at the end of 2019, the popular German continued to shine with standout drives in 2020 and 2022. Returning full-time to F1 with Haas in 2023, “Hulk” embraced another chance to set the record straight and finally secure a podium.
In 2025, alongside rookie Gabriel Bortoleto at Kick Sauber, Hulkenberg is already seeing the team that will become Audi’s works squad in 2026 deliver that elusive podium – and now he is aiming for even more.