Hulkenberg returns to action: 'Looking forward to this challenge'

Nico Hulkenberg will be back in action this weekend as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel. The Aston Martin reserve driver thinks he can already perform better in Saudi Arabia than he did in Bahrain.

Vettel still absent

Vettel will also miss the second race of 2022. The German tested positive for the coronavirus prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix, but has not tested negative since. As a result, the four-time world champion cannot travel to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Grand Prix there.

As in Bahrain, Hulkenberg is his replacement. Vettel's compatriot is the team's reserve driver and in recent years this has proved to be the best team to be a reserve driver for. Indeed, whereas most reserve drivers never need to be in action, Hulkenberg was needed three times in 2020 and now he will also be in action for the second time in 2022. No other reserve driver got to that many appearances in that time.

Opportunity for Hulkenberg

"After familiarising myself with the AMR22 in Bahrain last weekend, racing in Saudi Arabia will give me the opportunity to develop and further improve my understanding of the car. In addition, the work I did back in the simulator earlier this week has given me some extra insight and helped me prepare for this fast and flowing track. Obviously, I wish Sebastian a speedy recovery, but I am really looking forward to the challenge and will be doing my best for the whole team this weekend," Hulkenberg said in the Aston Martin preview.

Hulkenberg made a fine impression in Bahrain. The German was even faster than regular driver Lance Stroll in qualifying. Unfortunately for the duo, however, it was for P17 and P19, and in the race they came 12th and 17th. In the race, the German did lose a lot of ground and was the last finishing driver.