Former F1 champion boss: “He almost signed a contract with him, but Hamilton intervened”

Former Mercedes Formula 1 team manager Ross Brawn said that the German team was very close to transferring Nico Hulkenberg at the end of the 2012 season.

Following seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher’s decision to retire, Mercedes was actively searching for a star driver to replace him. One of the main candidates was the then young Hulkenberg, who played for Force India and scored 63 points during the season. A year earlier, he had made a name for himself by sensationally winning pole position at the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix.

As a German automaker, Mercedes was interested in a German driver; this would allow them to retain an all-German driver line-up after the Schumacher-Nico Rosberg duo.

However, the situation changed when the opportunity arose to sign 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was looking for options to leave McLaren. The deal eventually went through and Hamilton won six championships in eight years, helping Mercedes to eight consecutive constructors’ championships between 2014 and 2021.

Ross Brawn admitted that Hulkenberg actually had a “plan B” in case negotiations with Hamilton failed:

“We almost signed Nico when we were at Mercedes because we didn’t know what Lewis’ situation would be in 2013,” Brown said. he said.

“Negotiations with Hamilton were not easy and Nico was waiting. He acted very maturely during these discussions.”

I explained the situation as clearly as possible: There was a chance, but it all depended on Lewis’ decision.

When Hamilton signed the contract we told Nico we couldn’t move forward. But I was really looking forward to working with him; I think he’s a great driver.”

If Hulkenberg moves to Mercedes in 2013, it is possible that he will become world champion or at least win a few races; The team has dominated Formula 1 since 2014.

Instead, the German moved to Sauber and then returned to Force India. He set a record for most non-podium starts, eventually breaking that record in 2025 at the British Grand Prix, taking his first podium finish in 239 races.

Hulkenberg is now 38 years old and probably the most interesting phase of his career awaits him: the collaboration with Audi, which will take full control of the Sauber team in 2026. Audi’s goal is to win the championship by 2030 and Hulkenberg should be a key figure in the construction of this project.