Nico Hulkenberg Ruled Out of Miami Sprint Race After Audi F1 Car Catches Fire
· Yahoo Sports
Nico Hulkenberg faced a huge issue during the buildup to the Miami Grand Prix sprint race as his Audi F1 car caught fire. Flames could be seen billowing from the rear section of the car, leading him to retire before the start of the race.
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The incident occurred when the cars were on their way to the grid for the sprint race, forcing Hulkenberg to park and jump out of the car immediately.
The veteran F1 driver was to start the sprint race from P12. However, it remains to be seen if Audi can get his car running again before the qualifying session for the main race in Miami.
This is the second DNS for Hulkenberg, as he failed to start the season-opener in Australia due to a technical problem with his Audi F1 car. During the Chinese GP sprint race, Hulkenberg received a DNF after a fire on his car ended his race.
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Audi racing director Allan McNish told Sky Sports F1 that the team suspected a problem before the car left the garage. He said:
“We had something in the garage which we thought was sorted out, but clearly there was a problem going to the grid.
“We need to get the car back to have a look at it.”
When asked if Hulkenberg would miss the qualifying session for the main race, McNish said:
“We need to get it back before we can really see.”
Back in China, Hulkenberg’s car experienced a problem during the 14th lap of the sprint race, bringing out the safety car.
MotorBiscuit reported Hulkenberg’s DNS from Australia, which was caused by a technical issue on the lap to the grid. He appeared upset as his car was being taken back to the garage. He said:
“We’re not exactly sure yet. It developed some sort of technical problem on the laps to the grid. We made it there, but it was something we couldn’t fix quickly. They’re obviously taking the car apart now, investigating what happened. Very unfortunate to not make the start at all.”