Many years ago, Nico Hülkenberg worked for a Formula 1 Magazine as a columnist. “That’s right,” he says, “How long ago was that?” More than ten years. Given the old relationship, in light of the Dutch GP and his long list of achievements at Zandvoort, we wanted to know from Hülkenberg about his admiration for the Netherlands. After all, he not only speaks the language, but he also took his first steps towards a successful racing career that led him to Formula 1.
The bon vivant Hulk tells his story: candidly, with a smile, and in a beautiful mix of German and Dutch.
Netherlands Education
“Am I half Dutch? Well, it depends on how you look at it, haha. In some way, I do feel like there’s a lot of the Netherlands ‘in me’. Of course, I also grew up a bit in the Netherlands, as a child and teenager, spent a lot of time there. Especially at the beginning of my karting career, which is an important period in your life. My first laps were all in the Netherlands: in Emmen, Venray and, gosh what’s the name of that other track again? I can’t remember right now (Eefde, ed). But anyway, I spent a lot of time in the Netherlands and was always surrounded by Dutch people. That’s how I learned the language.
It wasn’t a big shock for me when I started racing in the Netherlands. The Dutch mentality is different from the German one, but when you’re young like I was – eight, nine, ten years old – you don’t think about things like rivalry between two countries. You just want to race and work with the people who help you, like Michel Vacirca from CRG Holland. He actually trained me in karting and taught me everything: a tough, but very good school.
I did notice right away that the Dutch are quite direct, yes. But I don’t think I consciously adopted that mentality. I’ve always been a, uh, no bullshit type of person. Quite straightforward, indeed. And I think that’s why I clicked with the Dutch from the beginning. I appreciate the mentality, how the Dutch act, even in business: a pleasant and smart people.”
