Haas F1 drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg commented on a fantastic milestone Hulkenberg is about to achieve during the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.
After a bit of a break from Formula One, Nico Hulkenberg returned to sit back into the cockpit of the F1 car in 2023, driving for Haas as a replacement for Mick Schumacher.
This is the 12th season in the World Championship for the German driver, and the Mexico City Grand Prix will mark his 200th career F1 race. As reported by haasf1team.com, his teammate Kevin Magnussen said ahead of this week's grand prix.
"200 is a lot and it’s an impressive number to have in your career. Even having done one Formula 1 grand prix is an achievement, so to have 200 in your career is great."
As Magnussen said, there can currently only be 20 drivers on the grid at the same time so the sport is one of the most competitive in the world.
"There are many drivers always knocking on the door and putting pressure on to replace you as an F1 driver, so it is very impressive to have been around for that long."
In reaction to being compared to the likes of Prost, Lauda, and Mansell in a number of races, Hulkenberg pointed to the fact that F1 Championships used to have a lot fewer races. He told Haas:
"Of course, that was a different era with fewer races, nowadays it’s a lot easier to rack up a bigger number of grand prixs."
Haas brought some significant upgrades to the United States Grand Prix last week, which did not completely work out for the team, so Hulkenberg will be looking to make better use of the upgrades in Mexico.
"Nonetheless, it’s still a milestone and an achievement and I’m very happy to hit and break that 200 GP marker board. I’m excited for this weekend in general, it’s a cool place and it will be a little bit more special this week."