With Nico Hülkenberg approaching the final phase of his Formula 1 career and preparing for a new chapter with Audi, a remarkable near-miss from the past has resurfaced. According to former Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, the German driver came very close to securing a seat with the Silver Arrows over a decade ago. In fact, Hülkenberg was Mercedes’ first choice as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who was considering not joining the team for the 2013 season.

At the time, Mercedes was in the midst of a pivotal rebuilding phase. The team was eager to secure a top-level driver to spearhead its long-term project, but Hamilton’s move from McLaren was far from guaranteed. This created an opportunity for Hülkenberg, who was impressing people across the paddock with his performances.

 

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“We almost brought Nico on board”

Ross Brawn has now confirmed just how serious Mercedes’ interest in Hülkenberg really was. In an interview with Formula1.com, the former team boss revealed that the German driver would have been the next choice if negotiations with Hamilton had fallen through.

“When I was at Mercedes, we almost brought Nico on board,” Brawn explained. ‘At that point, we didn’t know whether Lewis would come or not. Nico was ready to step in if it didn’t work out.’

Brawn also praised the way Hülkenberg handled the situation. Despite knowing he was a backup option, the German approached the negotiations with professionalism and patience. “He behaved very maturely during these discussions,” said Brawn. “I was very honest with him. I told him he had a real chance, but that everything depended on Lewis’s decision.’

 

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Hamilton’s late decision changed everything

Ultimately, Hamilton chose to leave McLaren late in the 2012 season following decisive talks with Mercedes supervisory board chairman Niki Lauda. At the time, the move was seen as a major gamble. McLaren was still winning races, while Mercedes had yet to establish itself as a consistent front-runner.

That decision reshaped modern Formula 1 history. Hamilton went on to win six world titles with Mercedes, while Hülkenberg was forced to seek opportunities elsewhere. After racing for Force India in 2012, he joined Sauber in 2013, beginning a career path that never quite yielded the results that many felt his talent deserved.

 

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A career that promised more

Reflecting on the near-miss, Brawn admitted to a lingering sense of regret: ‘We were able to clarify with Nico that it wouldn’t work out after all,’ he said. “But I was really looking forward to working with him.”

Brawn described Hülkenberg as a “great driver” who is “very mature and balanced, with an impressive career”. He also said that he could not believe it had taken Hülkenberg so long to achieve a podium finish. The German finally stood on the rostrum at Silverstone late in his career, which Brawn described as ‘hardly conceivable’ given his consistent level of performance over the years.

As Hülkenberg now turns his focus to Audi’s ambitious Formula 1 project, it demonstrates that small decisions can have a dramatic impact on a driver’s career. If things had turned out differently in 2012, both Mercedes and Nico Hülkenberg might have ended up in a very different place.

 

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NEXT ARTICLE – Max Verstappen responds to furious F1 fans: “I haven’t changed; my role has”

Between early 2022 and mid-2024, Max Verstappen produced one of the most dominant performances in the history of Formula 1. During this time, the Red Bull driver won an impressive 41 out of 54 races, achieving a win rate of 75.9%.

These results led to four consecutive world championships and firmly established Verstappen as one of the sport’s all-time greats. Yet for all his success, universal admiration never followed.

 

Dominance breeds contempt

At several circuits around the world, he was booed, sometimes loudly and in large numbers. This reaction seemed paradoxical when viewed against the statistics. Only five drivers in Formula 1 history have won four consecutive world titles. Even Michael Schumacher, the benchmark with five consecutive championships between 2000 and 2004, did not match Verstappen’s winning percentage during his most dominant years.

However, Formula 1 is not usually a sport where success alone guarantees popularity. Dominance often breeds resistance, especially in a championship built on tension, rivalry and uncertainty. Verstappen came to symbolise an era that many fans found predictable: Red Bull was almost untouchable, races were frequently decided early on, and the driver operated on the edge of the regulations while rarely being penalised. For some, this made him the perfect antagonist.

However, that image began to change in the second half of 2024. McLaren emerged as the new benchmark, a trend that became even clearer in 2025. For the first time in years, Verstappen found himself consistently playing catch-up rather than controlling the field. At one point mid-season, he trailed the championship leader by 104 points, an unthinkable margin during Red Bull’s peak dominance.

Further, Red Bull Racing made a strategic choice. While several rivals shifted their attention early to the major regulation changes coming in 2026, Red Bull continued to develop its 2025 car. This decision slowly but surely paid off, enabling Verstappen to close the gap race by race…CONTINUE READING THIS STORY