Will F1 star Nico Hulkenberg miss Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over FIA disqualification?

Nico Hulkenberg and Max Verstappen talk to each other ahead of an F1 race — Photo: © IMAGO

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Will F1 star miss Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over FIA disqualification?

Nico Hulkenberg was the latest driver to be disqualified by the FIA in 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 15 April 2025 10:57

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Nico Hulkenberg has been slapped with an official race disqualification by the stewards – but will he be able to compete at this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Hulkenberg piloted his Sauber to cross the line in P13 last weekend, unable to add to the six points that he has so far claimed for his new team Sauber in his first campaign with the Swiss outfit.

The German racer did however display his years of expertise in the pinnacle of motorsport, finishing once again ahead of his rookie team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto, who has been unable to collect a point in his debut F1 season so far.

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Following the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix however, Hulkenberg was stripped of his P13 finish and disqualified from the race after the FIA found that the skid wear of his Sauber was under the minimum thickness.

Hulkenberg is not the only star of the grid to fall victim to a skid wear disqualification verdict this season, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton stripped of his P6 finish at the Chinese GP earlier this month for the same reason.

Will Hulkenberg's Bahrain GP disqualification impact this weekend's F1 race?

Hulkenberg's Sauber was involved in a post-race inspection from the FIA, and the rearmost skid underneath the car was found to be underneath the minimum thickness of 9 mm, leading to an instant disqualification.

Although the verdict was issued after last Sunday's race, it only applies for his result in Bahrain and therefore, will not have any impact on his race weekend in Saudi Arabia.

FIA disqualifications do not impact upcoming races, in fact the most likely way that a driver would be banned from an F1 race would be to accrue 12 penalty points in a calendar year.

This unfavourable feat was achieved by Hulkenberg's 2024 team-mate, Kevin Magnussen, who was banned from competing in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last season after reaching the penalty point limit at the Italian Grand Prix with Haas.

Hulkenberg currently has four penalty points to his name which are set to expire this year. Two of those points came from forcing the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso off the track during the Austrian sprint last season, whilst the others were handed to him for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Italian GP.

The 37-year-old will be hoping to start afresh at Jeddah Corniche Circuit this weekend to round of the first triple-header race weekend of the year, during which he has failed to accumulate any points so far.