Formula 1: 5 possible replacements for Nikita Mazepin

Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 3 – Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg has been linked to vacant seats on the Formula 1 grid quite often over the last few seasons, but nothing has managed come to fruition. He last competed full-time in 2019 for Renault, now Alpine, before losing his seat to Esteban Ocon.

Hulkenberg most recently competed at all in 2020 for Racing Point as the replacement for Sergio Perez at Silverstone and the replacement for Lance Stroll at the Nurburgring. After not starting the first of two races at Silverstone, he finished in seventh place in the second, and he finished in eighth at the Nurburgring.

Racing Point have since become Aston Martin, and Hulkenberg still serves as the team’s official reserve driver.

Hulkenberg’s name was linked to Haas for the 2021 season, but they opted to go with two rookies to replace veterans Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen instead of another veteran. But in 2022, going with the veteran as a late substitute may make sense.

Pairing Hulkenberg and his experience with fellow German Mick Schumacher in his second season could be an underrated move as the latter continues to develop in the early stages of his career.

While nobody truly knows what to expect in the first season of the new rules and regulations, the addition of Hulkenberg would provide the team with a sense of stability and set them up to attain valuable feedback that they may not otherwise get from a less experienced driver.

With the team hoping to take a big step forward toward the midfield with their new VF-22, this aspect of going with a veteran over a younger driver can’t be overlooked.