Hats off to Nico Hulkenberg...
Discussion
...not just for winning Le Mans at his first attempt, but for having the balls to have a crack at it in the first place. It's a refreshing change to see a Formula 1 driver step out of the F1 bubble and take the attitude of "I am a racing driver; I fancy racing [X]". A shame more drivers don't/aren't allowed by their teams to try it.
This will show the other drivers that F1 is no longer regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport by many, and maybe we will see some more drivers make the jump as it will give them a chance to win! All the WEC has to do is attract a couple of big names (no disrespect to Nico) and the attention will shift even more.
F1 is still massively bigger than the WEC however it can change.
F1 is still massively bigger than the WEC however it can change.
motco said:
swisstoni said:
Used to be common for F1 drivers to have a go at everything. I bet he'll be a better driver as a result.
Jim Clark would probably still be alive if he hadn't been racing in a Formula 2 race. 
If Clark hadn't been racing in the Hockenheim F2 race that day, he was down to race at the BOAC 1000km sports car race at Brands Hatch instead.
Mermaid said:
Scuffers said:
Smollet said:
Well done indeed. When was the last time a current F1 driver drove in another event excepting Mehri?
Johnny Herbert was the last current racer to run at lemans (as in was still in f1 tithe time)Let's not forget Mark Webber did Le Mans before his F1 career took off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kvDkNXLrn4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kvDkNXLrn4
Smollet said:
Well done indeed. When was the last time a current F1 driver drove in another event excepting Mehri?
Was it this chap?:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aozohKhh1-k
Jasandjules said:
A pity he hasn't had a chance in a top flight team. He clearly has talent.
Nigel Roebuck on the Motor Sport magazine podcasts has been saying that, possibly saying that Ferrari should recruit him.I've not heard of the other two drivers that were teamed up with Hulkenberg.
It's amusing that the same weekend that Mercedes lost Lewis Hamilton the Monaco GP, Montoya was winning the Indy 500. There's to motor sport than F1.
Edited by carinaman on Sunday 14th June 19:59
Eric Mc said:
motco said:
swisstoni said:
Used to be common for F1 drivers to have a go at everything. I bet he'll be a better driver as a result.
Jim Clark would probably still be alive if he hadn't been racing in a Formula 2 race. If Clark hadn't been racing in the Hockenheim F2 race that day, he was down to race at the BOAC 1000km sports car race at Brands Hatch instead.
Congratulations to Nico on a fantastic performance by beating the Endurance boys at their own game, in their flagship event, at the first attempt. He has proved beyond any doubt that he is one of the finest racing drivers in the world.
So why on earth is he still stuck in a mid-field F1 team despite being demonstrably good enough to win GPs and fight for the championship in a competitive car? Nico's current situation reflects very badly on F1.
So why on earth is he still stuck in a mid-field F1 team despite being demonstrably good enough to win GPs and fight for the championship in a competitive car? Nico's current situation reflects very badly on F1.
It's entirely possible that when Porsche approached him, he was by no means certain that he would have an F1 drive. It might also be fair to speculate that he might have approached Force India with the Porsche offer and that they may not have been in a position than to confirm him as a driver. He may then have advised them that he was going to accept the contract. They may then have asked him whether Porsche might agree to him signing for just the one race, provided they agreed to confirm him as a Force India driver by a certain date.
Or maybe VJ just said 'yes' out of the goodness of his heart.
Whatever, I'm pleased for him. But even more pleased for the very talented Nick Tandy. His brother would have been very proud of him indeed.
Or maybe VJ just said 'yes' out of the goodness of his heart.
Whatever, I'm pleased for him. But even more pleased for the very talented Nick Tandy. His brother would have been very proud of him indeed.
motco said:
Yes I know. I saw him at Crystal Palace in the mid-sixties (can't recall the car or precise year) and at Brands in 1965 in his Lotus Cortina and in the Daily Mail Race of the Champions. My comment was a wry observation predicated upon the fact that drivers weren't paid the high salaries and yet they drove more races and, by extension, risked their lives more. If he'd been under the sort of contract that (say) Lewis Hamilton is probably under, he would not have been driving at Hockenheim and probably be still alive. Sorry to waste your day with silly comments.
It wasn't a silly comment - just a fairly irrelevant one in the context of the era in which Clark and his contemporaries raced.To him, racing in an F2 race at Hockenheim was as natural a thing to do as racing a saloon car, a sports car or an F1 car.
As far as Hulkenberg is concerned, well done to him for having a go at another category whilst an F1 driver - a rare event in the modern era. The point was made a number of times by the Eurosport commentary team that many young drivers are seeing sports cars as a viable alternative career to F1 and aren't bothered too much about whether they make F1 or not.
It's a sign of the times that F1 is losing its gloss and perhaps its relevance - which cannot be altogether bad. It has dominated motor sport for far too long.
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