Nico Hulkenberg reveals horror Australian Grand Prix scenario that led to 'code brown' moment

Nico Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg reveals 'horror scenario' that led to 'code brown' moment

The German's quick reactions saved Formula 1 fans from witnessing a horrific crash in Melbourne

Jay Winter

Monday 3 April 2023 12:30

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg has revealed that he almost had a "code brown" moment at the Australian Grand Prix when Alex Albon crashed his Williams just a few metres in front of him.

The "horror scenario" which saw gravel, dust and debris sprayed all over the track, occurred on lap seven of 58 and resulted in a red flag. The German was quick to react to Albon losing control of his car, veering out of the way of the Thai driver.

In an interview with Sky Sports Germany, Hulkenberg opened up on the incident.

Article continues under video

"Yeah, it was pretty brutal," he said. "It started out civilised until Alex lost control of his car, and then it was a horror scenario.

"As a driver to come into a blind corner and there's basically a car on the track that you can't even see because of all the dust and gravel... [That corner is] brutally fast, 250 km/h, and it could have ended badly. Thankfully, nothing happened."

Alex Albon's spin at the Australian Grand Prix

Nico: My pulse skyrocketed

The 35-year-old also revealed that he had a moment of panic during the incident:

"You can see it with the helmet cam, you can only see dust and the car very late.

"I can tell you, there was really a code brown moment for me.

"I think I shouted frantically on the radio because my pulse skyrocketed at that moment."

Nico Hulkenberg celebrates his first points for Haas

The craziness didn't stop there for the F1 veteran. A subsequent red flag and chaotic restart, saw Hulkenberg rise up into fourth place behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who had a five-second time penalty with just one lap to go.

However, because of the amount of carnage that had ensued, the race leader had not reached the first sector timing line, so Hulkenberg was demoted and the grid was reassembled for a standing restart.

Haas had lodged a document to protest the verdict after seeing they had a chance to grab a podium place, however, the stewards ultimately dismissed it, stating that the decision made by the Race Director was appropriate.

Hulkenberg finished P7, grabbing his first points for Haas in the 2023 F1 season.