| Drivers: | Hülkenberg v Sainz |
|---|---|
| Team: | Renault |
| Races: | 21 |
| H2H Winner: | Hülkenberg (4/1/1) |
| Hülkenberg | Sainz | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 69 | 53 | Hülkenberg |
| Race Result | 8 | 4 | Hülkenberg |
| Qualifying | 13 | 8 | Hülkenberg |
| Fastest Lap | 10 | 8 | Hülkenberg |
| Laps in Top 10 | 664 | 791 | Sainz |
| Best Result | 5th | 5th | draw |
SEASON WRAP
Hulkenberg managed to hold on to the 4-1 lead he held against his Spanish teammate at the mid-season break in what was generally a tightly fought battle. After some early problems finding the right setup for the car Sainz found his feet over the course of the season and managed to outpoint Hulkenberg in the second half although he still struggled to match the German’s quali form.
Carlos Sainz is highly rated and is clearly quick but the Hulk must surely be the most underrated driver on the grid. The two only had four races against each other at the end of 2017 (after Renault dropped Jolyon Palmer) with Hulkenberg winning 3:1. The fact that the German was able to sustain that dominance in 2018 is super impressive and makes for a mouth watering matchup against Dan Ricciardo in 2019. We can’t wait to see the outcome of this matchup and if Renault can continue to find some improvements in the offseason podiums may well be a possibility in 2019.
Chili Sainz heads to McLaren next year to join the British rookie Lando Norris. They will be an interesting pairing to watch, particularly if McLaren can finally put their recent performance woes behind them and potentially challenge Renault at the sharp end of the mid-field.