Nico Hulkenberg admits he struggled with the “mental” side of his three-year full-time absence from the Formula 1 grid. But he is back in F1 this year with Haas, with the small American team preferring Hulkenberg’s vast experience over the much younger Mick Schumacher. “After 2019 it was a conscious decision to leave Formula 1, knowing that there might be no turning back. From the middle of the year, I wasn’t in the best mental shape. “But the break gave me some distance from Formula 1 and a reset. Now, with Schumacher out and Sebastian Vettel retiring, he is the only German driver in Formula 1.

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