Replacing Mick Schumacher: “We haven’t spoken, never had a real relationship”

Schumacher is absent from the 2023 F1 driver line-up after being axed by Haas, with Hulkenberg instead brought back onto the grid to partner Kevin Magnussen.

The change was particularly high-profile because the son of Michael Schumacher was regularly criticised by Haas boss Guenther Steiner for the frequency of his crashes, before an agonisingly long decision-making process dominated the final weeks of the season.

"We haven't spoken to each other since,” Hulkenberg told RTL about his fellow German.

“We never really exchanged ideas before.

"Mick is also a different generation. We never had a real relationship, something like he has with Sebastian Vettel. 

“The story is now what it is. If it hadn't been me, maybe it would have been someone else."

Hulkenberg, who was dropped by Renault in 2019, said about Haas ditching Schumacher: "F1 is about performance. If you convince and perform, you have a job, you are a hot stock. If there is no performance, then it's over very quickly."

Hulkenberg, 35, holds the F1 record for the most race starts without a podium.

He said about his comeback: "The preparations are going well. It feels good to go back in. The volume and intensity in training have increased again, so the last few years have been more relaxed. It feels good to get up in the morning, feel the body.

"If you don't drive F1 for months, then again [you feel a] strain. These G-forces, which have a great effect on the body when driving, are very special. You can train like a world champion, the first time in a car like this, everyone suffers.

"Despite all the euphoria and joy, you have to remain realistic. You're dependent on the car."