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Hamilton snubbed from F1 star's top three drivers as shock rival selected

Nico Hulkenberg believes Pierre Gasly has immense potential

Cal Gaunt

Tuesday 2 January 2024 20:57

Haas star Nico Hulkenberg has expressed his admiration for Alpine rival Pierre Gasly, stressing that many people underestimate the French driver.

Gasly's switch from AlphaTauri to Alpine has impressed Hulkenberg, who believes Gasly made a bold but correct decision - and has showcased his talent with the French team.

Despite a challenging season with Alpine, Hulkenberg considers Gasly among his top three drivers from the previous season, behind world champion Max Verstappen and veteran Fernando Alonso.

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This places Gasly above the likes of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in Hulkenberg's evaluation, highlighting his high regard for Gasly's performance.

Nico Hulkenberg has been impressed by the performances of Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly switched teams from AlphaTauri to Alpine last season

Hulkenerg: Gasly very quick

“With Pierre [Gasly] you underestimate the fact that he has had a team change and is at a very good level straight away," Hulkenberg told Motorsport-Magazin.

“Most drivers, and I speak from experience, need time to get everything running smoothly with the car and the team.

“That usually takes time and he was at Esteban’s [Ocon] level straight away and often even ahead of it in qualifying. I see this as a strong performance."

Hulkenberg felt that Gasly had a better year than both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in 2023

When questioned about whether people fail to understand the challenges of changing teams, Hulkenberg added: “You see everything from the outside, but you can’t judge it very well from the outside because it’s a feeling.

“As a journalist, you can’t understand how different it is and how different the dynamics are because you’re not in the car.

“These are all processes that take time until you have really adjusted completely and adapted your driving style.

“Especially now without testing and with the very limited driving times on a race weekend, this is usually something that takes a long time. And I think he did it very, very quickly and very well.”

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Lando Norris Fernando Alonso Alpine Nico Hulkenberg