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Pre-F1

Hulkenberg started in karting at the age of 10, and won the German Kart Championship in 2003. Two years later, he made his debut in German Formula BMW, which saw him dominate and win the title comfortably.

For the 2006-07 season, he joined the German A1 Grand Prix team, which saw him take nine wins, making him the most successful driver in A1GP history, helping Germany to the title.

He drove in Formula Three from 2006-08, finishing fifth in the German branch of the series before moving on to the Formula 3 Euro Series for 2007. His first win came at the Norisring from 18th on the grid, and he won the title a year later, after winning the Masters of Formula 3 race at Zolder, although this doesn’t count towards the championship.

His greatest pre-F1 achievement came in 2009, winning the GP2 title in dominant fashion, with two races to spare. He finished 64 points ahead of Pastor Maldonado – his teammate – who would later go on to take his race seat at Williams for the 2011 season.

Williams

He got his first test in an F1 car in December 2007 with Williams, when he managed to beat race driver Kazuki Nakajima for pace, and was less than half-a-second of that of Nico Rosberg. He was offered a test driver contract with the team for the 2008 season, which he accepted and extended for the 2009 season as well.

His Grand Prix debut came in 2010, when he was named alongside Rubens Barrichello as Williams’ race drivers for the season. It was a tough season for Williams in a poor car, and on his debut in Bahrain he finished 14th after a spin. His performances picked up over the second half of the season, with the highlight being an incredible pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which he finished in 8th place.

His best finish of the season was 6th at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and he finished the season 14th overall, amassing 22 points. Sadly for “The Hulk”, it wasn’t enough for him to keep his race seat for the next season, as 2010 GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado was selected ahead of him – possibly due to the Venezuelan’s deeper pockets!

Force India

Hulkenberg couldn’t find a race seat for 2011, and was confirmed as Force India’s reserve driver for the season, at which he would have the chance to drive in Friday practice for the team.