Timing is very important in Formula 1 as a well-timed move to a top team could transform a driver’s career as they begin to compete at the front of the field.
Lewis Hamilton switched from McLaren to Mercedes ahead of the 2013 season which led to him winning six world championships with the team.
He had been with McLaren since his rookie year in 2007, but the British team began to struggle. They were backmarkers in 2015 as Honda supplied a lacklustre engine and Hamilton cruised to a third world title.
Other drivers, such as Fernando Alonso, have made less successful driver moves. The two-time world champion partnered Hamilton at McLaren in 2007 in an explosive partnership that lasted one season.
Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner explained at the Oxford Union that one driver is very quick but hasn’t found himself in the right place very often.
Guenther Steiner explained Nico Hulkenberg ‘was always at the wrong place at the wrong time’
Nico Hulkenberg has been very competitive in his Formula 1 career since making his debut with Williams in the 2010 season.
He took a pole position at that year’s Brazilian Grand Prix but he has never stood on the podium in F1 despite being quick.
Hulkenberg has had opportunities which he has failed to take. He was contending for victory in Interlagos two years later before crashing with Hamilton.
READ MORE: Franz Tost believes 561-point driver ‘no longer’ belongs in F1 after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix
The German driver also missed a chance at his home race in 2019, making a critical error at Hockenheim which forced him to retire.
Steiner explained Hulkenberg has been very strong but he just had some bad luck including missing out on a move to Ferrari.
He said: “Nico, I think, very solid driver. I think he was always at the wrong place at the wrong time. He could have done a lot more. Would he have been in a good team?
“He seemed to be always trying to do something which wasn’t there. He was always almost there. I think at some stage, he was decided to go to Ferrari.
“Then the last minute, Kimi [Raikkonen] got that cockpit. He was always almost there, but obviously, now he’s getting older, and at some stage, we all get slower. But I think he’s still a good driver. And when he came back, he surprised me how good he was.”
Nico Hulkenberg will be looking to return to form in Las Vegas
There are three rounds to go in the world championship this season, and Hulkenberg will want to return to form at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit presents a unique challenge with very low downforce and cold temperatures which could make the tyres difficult to switch on.
Hulkenberg got disqualified last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which cost the Haas team points. The German driver is wary of Turn 3 in Las Vegas as Hulkenberg made an error in qualifying a year ago.
A good result at the third and final race in America of the season could help Haas beat Alpine to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
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