Nico Hulkenberg has joked that his sturdy eighth-place end within the Singapore Grand Prix got here with a “Tony Hawk” transfer as he defeated George Russell.
Hulkenberg banked his greatest results of the season for Audi at Marina Bay with eighth place, with these 4 factors following on from the 2 he scored within the Dash for a complete haul of six – virtually doubling his earlier tally of seven for the season.
The outcome gave the crew some respiration room over Williams in eighth within the constructors, with the hole now 11 factors in Audi’s favour, as Hulkenberg fended off a problem from Mercedes’ Russell within the closing stint because the Briton tried to beat a back-of-the-grid engine penalty.
Nevertheless, Russell couldn’t get previous the German, with Hulkenberg describing how Liam Lawson in seventh helped him to hold on in a race which featured a “Tony Hawk” transfer – in reference to the enduring American skateboarder.
When requested about his race, and a second over the kerbs, Hulkenberg delivered the quip to media, together with RacingNews365.
“Yeah, a little bit of Tony Hawk there; I used to be simply testing the restrict,” he mentioned.
“I had begin, Lap 1 and had feeling and intuition as to the place to go, and on the within of Flip 2, I received one other place, in order that was good to set us up for race.
“It was very shut with the Racing Bulls and Alpines, after which George on the finish was a bit sketchy, and I did not suppose firstly it will be attainable [to keep him behind].
“However I then discovered a greater rhythm and closed the hole to Liam and picked up a little bit of an oblique tow, which actually helped us on the straight to select up a little bit of straight-line velocity.”
The truth that Hulkenberg had managed to carry up Russell was picked up on by Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
“It gave them good TV protection,” quipped Wolff.
“It was so troublesome right here to overhaul. The second you catch the automobile in entrance, you’ve such a wake, a lot soiled air that you just lose downforce, and I feel at that stage he was most likely 1.5s quicker than the blokes in entrance of him, however you may’t go.
“So our best-case state of affairs was P7, if it had gone easily.
“I feel P9, we must be we must be pleased with that. It was a harm limitation race for us, with him ranging from the again, and I feel he drove an important race.”
