– The Dutch Grand Prix almost turned into a disaster for Audi. After all, Nico Hülkenberg only narrowly managed in the first lap to avoid his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in the last corner and prevent a consequential collision. Instead, Hülkenberg recorded another top-10 result.
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“That was pretty wild,” is his assessment of the chaotic start in Zandvoort. About three-quarters of an hour before the race start, it had rained on site, so some parts of the track were still relatively wet, while most of the track had already dried before the race began.
Especially in the steep corner at the end of the track, a lot of water had accumulated, which is why Max Verstappen ended up in the track limits before completing the first lap and had to retire from the race. All drivers had started the Grand Prix on dry tires despite the mixed conditions.
Close evasive maneuver between the Audis
Bortoleto himself almost became a victim of these circumstances. “I was on the inside line of the banking,” he explains after the race. “I jerked a little to the left when I saw smoke in front of me.”
With this, Bortoleto refers to Verstappen, who crashed in front of him. Consequently, the Audi driver lost his R26 and spun once around his own axis. Even here, Bortoleto was lucky not to crash into the track limits himself.
Teammate Hülkenberg was only able to narrowly avoid the 21-year-old at the exit of the corner and moved left again a few meters before the possible collision, passing Bortoleto who was moving right in a cloud of smoke. A lightning-fast reaction that race director Allan McNish also praised after the race.
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“For my heart, that was a bit too much Days of Thunder,” jokes the former Formula 1 driver. “But in the end, both did a fantastic job there.”
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Hülkenberg himself emphasizes about the near collision: “I wasn’t sure where [Bortoleto] would move, whether he would roll up or down. So I waited and hesitated until the last moment.”
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“Then I had,” as Hülkenberg admits, “a lot of luck that we didn’t touch each other there. But it was very close.”
Due to Verstappen’s accident, the race was initially stopped. Both Audi drivers were able to participate in the restart, although Bortoleto had to give up some positions in the new starting grid due to his spin in the first lap.
In the end, the 21-year-old finished in 13th place. Hülkenberg, on the other hand, was able to finish the Grand Prix in eighth position and achieve his best result of the season. “Everything that didn’t go well on Friday and yesterday went well today,” Hülkenberg explains after the race on Sky Sport F1.
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While the Audi driver had to give up the sprint on Saturday due to technical problems, he was able to compete with the Racing Bulls, Alpines, and Williams in the Grand Prix. As a result, Hülkenberg is the best driver from a midfield team.
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