Nico Hulkenberg (Motorsport.com)
Sebastian Vettel is yet to get the all clear ahead of the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP and Nico Hulkenberg will continue to replace in place of the German
Sebastian Vettel will miss this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as he still recovers from Covid-19.
The German had to skip the first race of the 2022 season in Bahrain after contracting the virus. Nico Hulkenberg replaced Vettel for that race and the Hulk will continue to do the same for Aston Martin this weekend.
Hulkenberg is the reserve driver for Aston Martin and has a ton of F1 experience. The German was their reserve driver last year too but did not get to compete in any Grand Prix.
Vettel missing the second race of the season will also be a big blow for Aston Martin.
It was a disappointing performance from both Aston Martin cars in Bahrain last weekend. Hulkenberg finished 17th in the race, however, he was the last running car after the retirements of the Red Bull pair and Pierre Gasly.
Lance Stroll, in the other Aston Martin, fared a little better. However, even the Canadian was far off the points as he finished 12th.
This will be the first time Hulkenberg drives in the Saudi GP and he has a tough task on his hand to help his team score points.
However, there could be a lot of drama in the race given what happened last season. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton clashed during the race, which got a lot of people talking.
There were several red flags and safety car incidents too last time around, and that could help the Aston Martins sneak into the points.
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