Gunther Steiner revealed Nico Hülkenberg turned down Haas F1’s 2016 offer before becoming a standout driver years later.
Gunther Steiner revealed that Nico Hulkenberg had turned down several offers to join Haas F1, including during the team’s inaugural year, before ultimately accepting the seat for his return to the top category.
Hulkenberg has been hugely impressive this season, coinciding with Steiner stepping down as team principal, and has secured a move to Sauber/Audi for 2025.
“Nico has always been a talent who was always in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Steiner admitted.
“I tried to get him. I’m not saying he would have been in the right place at the right time during our first year! But he was on my radar. We almost had a deal signed, but he walked away.”
“There were one or two other chances, but nothing… In the end, I got him! All good. We talked to Kevin Magnussen too. He wasn’t racing at the time.”
“Ferrari helped us a lot to make it to our first race. We made a deal with them to have Esteban Gutierrez. The following year, we signed Kevin after his season with Renault.”
“With Hulkenberg, we didn’t get him in 2016. We went with Grosjean, but we got him two years ago. We’ve always had very strong drivers.”
Steiner detailed how he convinced drivers in Haas F1’s early days.
“Explain your goals. Tell them credibly what you can achieve. Then, people become interested. It wasn’t easy – new teams were failing, or had failed, and another new team was entering.”
“I explained what we were going to do, and that’s why they came. You always need some luck, to be in the right place at the right time. There were a few drivers available without seats, and we capitalized.”
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Hülkenberg Declined Haas Seat in 2016, Now a Key Player Hülkenberg Declined Haas Seat in 2016, Now a Key Player
