Nico Hulkenberg turned a P11 qualifying slot into a stellar eighth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, putting together his highest-scoring round of the season after previously taking P7 in the Sprint. Having dodged an impeding penalty the day before, and moving up on the grid thanks to power unit penalties for George Russell, the Audi driver made every moment count from the lights to the checkered flag.
Getting off the line has occasionally let both Audi drivers down this term, but Hulkenberg nailed his start. He immediately swarmed past Pierre Gasly and Arvid Lindblad on the opening lap. “I think not just at the start, but I had a good lap one, a good feeling today, an instinct as to where to go,” he said, noting how he picked up another position on the inside of Turn 2 to set the tone for his afternoon while chasing Liam Lawson and managing close pace from the Racing Bulls and Alpine behind.
That early momentum set up a tense defensive masterclass in the closing stages. Russell charged hard through the field from a P19 grid slot, looming large in Hulkenberg’s mirrors with visibly superior pace in the Mercedes machine. Yet the German driver stood his ground. “And then George at the end was a bit sketchy,” Hulkenberg admitted. “I didn't think at the beginning it would be possible, but then found a better rhythm and closed the gap to Liam and picked up a bit of an indirect tow, which really helps us on the straight to pick up a bit of straight line speed.”
The result completely washed away the bitter taste of Baku and Sepang, where Hulkenberg had been agonizingly bumped out of the points on the very last lap in both outings. Audi racing director Allan McNish was full of praise for the veteran's execution under immense pressure. “Today he just showed his width of experience, and also I would say his racing brain, because at the end, 10 laps with George, who was clearly quicker, and to be able to be quick at the right points in the circuit, defend well, but not over defend,” McNish remarked.
Not only did Hulkenberg successfully block the Mercedes star, but he ultimately managed to pull away from Russell and start hunting down Lawson ahead of him. McNish emphasized just how much the defensive masterclass meant to the entire garage following their recent heartbreak: “After the last two races, where we lost a point on the last lap twice, it was actually I think something that everybody in the garage appreciated, the defence that Nico had on it. He wasn't going to lose that one.”
