Did “underrated” F1 driver sign new contract “too early?”

Nico Hulkenberg may have signed his latest contract “too early”, before his red-hot form caught the eye, it has been claimed.

Hulkenberg has remarkably scored more points in the past two F1 grands prix, for Haas, than Sergio Perez has scored in the past six grands prix in the dominant Red Bull.

The veteran driver has signed on for Sauber next year, and will front the project that will evolve into Audi under the new regulations in 2026.

But Tom Clarkson said on the F1 Nation podcast: “As brilliant as it is for Hulkenberg that he has signed a long-term deal, I think he has signed too early.”

Natalie Pinkham said: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing. He had to secure his future.

“There was a stage where he was working on German TV. We thought his F1 career was done.

“He’s back now, pumping out P6s in a Haas, beating Ferrari!

“It’s crazy. He’s an exceptional driver. And, for me, one of the most underrated drivers.

“He should have been on the podium by now.”

Hulkenberg has finished sixth at Silverstone in Austria, the past two grands prix, a remarkable achievement given he is driving a Haas.

Hulkenberg has bullishly claimed that Haas can overtake Aston Martin as the fifth-fastest team in F1.

“The performance is there with this update,” he said at Silverstone.

“And that makes me very happy and optimistic looking into the remainder of the season.

“I think we’re definitely in the fight now for the fifth-fastest team, which is obviously very positive, and nobody really expected [that] a couple of weeks ago. So, yeah, very encouraging and very positive.”