Minichamps 1:43 Haas VF-23 – Nico Hülkenberg, Bahrain GP 2023 Art. 417230127

A 1:43 model of the Haas VF-23 as raced by Nico Hülkenberg at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team livery. Resin, in a protective display case, around 10 cm long.

The record nobody wants

By the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Nico Hülkenberg had started more Formula One races without ever finishing on the podium than any driver in history — a run that had passed 180 starts.

It is a strange record because it is not a record of failure. Hülkenberg won the GP2 championship as a rookie, took pole position in the wet at Brazil in 2010 in a Williams that had no business being there, and won the Le Mans 24 Hours at his first attempt in 2015 — which almost no Formula One driver of his generation has done.

What he never had was a competitive car at the right moment. He drove for Williams, Force India, Sauber and Renault, all midfield teams, and the handful of races where a podium was within reach went wrong for reasons that were usually not his.

He then spent three years out of a race seat entirely, appearing only as a substitute when other drivers fell ill — which is how he came to make two starts in 2020 at a day's notice, qualifying third in one of them.

Bahrain 2023 is his first race back as a full-time driver, at 35.

Specifications

Scale: 1:43 · Resin · Protective display case · Limited edition
Model length: approx. 10 cm (4 in)