Racing
© Petr Urbanek
Nico Hülkenberg says his connection with Max Verstappen goes back 20 to 25 years, with the Sauber driver tracing that relationship to his own deep roots in Dutch karting.
In an exclusive interview with RacingNews365 ahead of the British Grand Prix, Hülkenberg said his bond with the Netherlands started in "the early days and my racing roots and beginnings" and has never left him. The 38-year-old grew up in Emmerich, close to the Dutch border, and spent much of his karting career racing in the Netherlands.
"I have a connection with the Netherlands, a strong one," Hülkenberg told RacingNews365. "That has always somehow stuck with me, and I feel there is, yeah, there's definitely a connection there."
That background also explains why his relationship with Verstappen predates Formula 1 by decades. Hülkenberg said the two first crossed paths as youngsters in karting and shared the same racing environment long before Verstappen became the Netherlands' biggest name in grand prix racing.
"Max and I, we've known each other, let me think, I don't know how many years," Hülkenberg said. "20, 25 years, since our karting days, when we were both juniors." He said Verstappen was "actually still really kind of very small" at the time, and explained that although they did not race each other because of the age difference, they were in the same team and spent plenty of time together in the paddock.
Hülkenberg said that shared history has developed into lasting mutual respect. He described Verstappen as "an incredible talent who has achieved so much at such a young age," before adding: "It's just very, very incredible what he did and what he's still doing."
The Dutch link remains an important part of Hülkenberg's identity even now. He said he has worn a special helmet for the Dutch Grand Prix in recognition of that connection, with one of those designs appearing at Zandvoort in 2024.
For Hülkenberg, the significance is that his ties to Verstappen are rooted less in their years around the Formula 1 paddock and more in the Dutch racing scene that shaped his own start in the sport.