36-year-old driver told he’s ‘the best qualifier’ in Formula 1’s midfield this season

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Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm has picked out the fastest driver over a single lap in F1’s congested midfield battle.

The grid appears to have almost split into two this season, with five teams jostling in the lower half of the field.

And Mitchell-Malm, who was speaking on The Race F1 podcast, believes one team have a key advantage over their rivals thanks to their driver’s qualifying speed.

Haas, Williams, Sauber, RB and Alpine have scored one point between them after the first two races.

Nico Hulkenberg, who finished 10th in Saudi Arabia last time out, is the only man on the board.

Even then, the German was reliant on Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll crashing out of the race.

Fernando Alonso came home fifth in the sister car to underline its status as a front-runner.

Hulkenberg finished just under 77 seconds behind race-winner Max Verstappen in Jeddah and nearly half a minute adrift of ninth-place Lewis Hamilton.

Alongside teammate Kevin Magnussen and Williams driver Alex Albon, he was one of only three drivers from 10th down to finish on the lead lap.

Scott Mitchell-Malm names Nico Hulkenberg as best midfield qualifier

Discussing the midfield landscape, Mitchell-Malm said that Haas has a ‘weapon’ up their sleeve in the form of Hulkenberg.

He believes the 36-year-old, a veteran of 205 Grands Prix, is the quickest of the 10 midfield drivers in qualifying trim.

That gives him the edge over Grand Prix winners like Daniel Ricciardo (RB), Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine).

He said: “Haas have the best qualifier in that group of drivers in Nico Hulkenberg, and looks like it might actually have a car that can actually utilise that as a weapon.”

Hulkenberg was only 15th on the grid in Saudi Arabia but he wasn’t able to set a lap time in Q2 because of a mechanical issue.

At the first race in Bahrain, he reached the final part of qualifying, while Magnussen could only manage 15th.

Hulkenberg appeared in Q3 eight times last year in a car that scored 12 points and finished bottom of the standings.

That ranked him joint-12th, and four spots ahead of Magnussen (three) in the overall leaderboard.

Will Hulkenberg drive for Audi in 2026?

Hulkenberg is the third-oldest driver on the current F1 grid and his Haas contract is up at the end of the season.

Some may see this as a recipe for imminent retirement but he continues to be coveted.

ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson says the former Williams, Sauber, Force India and Renault driver has elevated his stock with his performances so far.

Haas may make an effort to renew his contract, with Autosport’s Jake Boxall-Legge telling team principal Ayao Komatsu he could form a ‘very strong’ line-up alongside Ferrari youngster Oliver Bearman.

However, Audi, who will acquire the Sauber team when the engine regulations are overhauled in 2026, are thought to be keen too.

Mitchell-Malm reckons the manufacturer would prefer to have the German racer in their car than to keep Bottas.

It remains to be seen whether Audi will seek to assemble their pieces in 2025, a year before their entry.