by F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nico Hulkenberg has never been one for melodrama. He's lived enough of Formula 1's highs and lows to know how little use self-pity is in a business that moves on before you've even left the paddock.

But sitting across from him on a humid afternoon in Singapore, the German seems more relaxed and at ease than when we last spoke in Shanghai earlier this season. Maybe that long-awaited first career podium has done him some good.

"I wasn't really enjoying myself back then," he says of the weeks before his first exit from F1 in 2019. "It was difficult."

THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T DISAPPEAR

Hulkenberg has left Formula 1 twice - and twice he's come back. The first time, he was a promising rookie shuffled out of Williams at the end of 2010, returning a year later with Force India. The second time was more serious: three full seasons out of a regular seat after being dropped by Renault in 2019.

One year is a long time in Formula 1; three is an eternity. Yet Hulkenberg insists the break did him good.

"After 2019, I needed and wanted some time away," he recalls. "For two years, I really enjoyed being disconnected. I didn't know if I'd make it back - it's not in my power. You have to convince someone to give you the job."

When the pandemic hit, that chance came - fleetingly, and in chaotic fashion. Drafted in at short notice to stand in for Racing Point drivers sidelined by COVID-19, he reminded the paddock just how good he was.

At Silverstone, he qualified a brilliant third and finished seventh, while at the Nurburgring later that year he finished a gutsy eighth, despite only driving the car for the first time during Saturday's qualifying.

Two tougher outings followed with a recalcitrant Aston Martin in 2022, but Hulkenberg still outqualified regular driver Lance Stroll in Melbourne and beat him to the flag in Bahrain.

Those cameos, he admits, "clearly helped my case. Without them, I probably wouldn't have been on anyone's map."

It was enough to earn a full-time return with Haas in 2023, where his blend of experience, technical feedback and stoic realism was valued currency in a rebuilding team.

"IT TOOK A WHILE TO CONVINCE THEM"

"The first year or two away, I didn't really care," he says. "I was happy at home, living my life. But later, it took some work convincing [team principal] Guenther [Steiner] and [team owner] Gene [Haas] that I was the right guy. That took a few months of massaging and working them."

He smiles at the choice of words. "Not literally massaging!" he grins. "Just... convincing."

Since returning, Hulkenberg has been one of F1's quiet constants - often outperforming the baseline of whatever machinery he's given. This year, that persistence finally earned him his first career podium at Silverstone, a moment that seemed to loosen something in him.

"I think I'm more relaxed now," he says. "I've learned to just go with the flow a bit. These days I don't force myself to stay up until 5 or 6 a.m. before a night race - I just do what feels natural."

LOOKING TO 2026

Now the German faces another turning point. With Sauber's metamorphosis into the Audi works entry almost complete, Hulkenberg has signed on for the project that will mark both his and the team's next evolution.

"You have to be open-minded," he says of the coming regulation changes. "The current rules are very explored - there's nothing new to learn. But with everything changing, you have to adjust, maybe change your driving style a bit too. Honestly, I'm excited to have a new toy, to relearn and discover again."

He's already sampled the early 2026 prototype in Audi's simulator. "It's different, but still a race car," he says. "A lot will change between what we've driven in the sim and what'll be reality on track. I wouldn't read too much into it yet."

THE REALIST AND THE ROMANTIC

Other drivers have voiced concern that the new cars will be too focused on energy management. Hulkenberg shrugs. "Maybe yes, maybe no. The regulations are the same for everyone, so I don't really care. We'll just explore it and go racing."

He's equally pragmatic about Audi's prospects as the German marque heads into 2026 with a new and untried power unit. "You have to be realistic," he says. "We're going to be a factory team named Audi, but our infrastructure and tools are still developing. I wouldn't expect a miracle - hopefully just a step forward from where we are now."

For a driver long tagged as F1's nearly man, his first podium this season felt symbolic - a quiet reward for perseverance. But Hulkenberg insists he still loves the grind. "F1 is the pinnacle," he says. "I love the competition, the technology, the whole industry. Better to be in the middle in F1 than at the front somewhere else."

NO YACHTS, NO FUSS

At 38, he knows he's closer to the end than the beginning, but there's no grand farewell plan yet. "I take it easy - week by week, year by year," he says. "As long as I enjoy it and the performance is there, there's a job for me. After that, we'll see. Maybe something different, maybe not even related to racing. But no commentary or media work, that's for sure."

He laughs off the idea of emulating his 2010 Williams teammate Rubens Barrichello, who still races Brazilian stock cars full-time at the age of 53. "Probably not. And there's no yacht in Monaco either! Maybe just a bar somewhere. Who knows?"

And when the time does come to hang up the helmet, how does he want to be remembered? "Just a fast guy, a good guy, a reliable guy," he says. "A good human being, authentic. I stayed true to myself. I'm here to perform for my team and for myself, to do the best I can with what I have." ■