Franz Tost believes 561-point driver ‘no longer’ belongs in F1 after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was one of the most testing races in recent seasons with torrential rain disrupting the entire weekend.

Formula 1 witnessed a rare Sunday morning qualifying session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that a quarter of the field couldn’t navigate without finding the barriers.

Both Williams and Aston Martin drivers crashed out as well as Carlos Sainz who was then forced to start from the pit lane.

Stand-in Haas driver Oliver Bearman struggled in the rainy conditions, although he still managed to bring the car home during his first wet race which is more than can be said about other more experienced drivers.

Lance Stroll bizarrely got beached in a gravel trap on the formation lap, while Nico Hulkenberg was disqualified after he required a push-start to get going again following a spin at the first corner.

It was a very disappointing weekend for Hulkenberg after he retired from the Sprint Race and was an unusual blot on his copybook after a brilliant season.

However, speaking to F1 Insider, former team principal Franz Tost is much less enthusiastic about the German driver who has 561 career points to his name.

He believes that Hulkenberg should no longer be racing in F1 as he’s now ‘past his prime’.

This is a very harsh analysis considering the campaign he’s had, but Tost has suggested another driver who should be racing in his place.

Franz Tost tells Nico Hulkenberg that he’s ‘past his prime’

Hulkenberg will join Sauber next season and discovered on Wednesday that Gabriel Bortoleto will be his new teammate in 2025.

It’s going to be a difficult first year for Hulkenberg and Bortoleto before Audi take over in 2026.

However, according to Tost, Sauber should have selected Mick Schumacher over Hulkenberg for next year and said: “The last few races have shown that Nico Hülkenberg is past his prime and, in my opinion, no longer belongs in Formula 1.

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“It would be better to rely on a young German like Mick Schumacher.

“I would play the German card, especially in these difficult times.

“That is the best way to get employees who are critical of Formula 1 back on board.”

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Hulkenberg had to wait a long time to find out if it would be Bortoleto or experienced driver Valtteri Bottas joining him at Sauber next year.

Audi chief Mattia Binotto changed his mind on keeping Bottas which led to Sauber deciding to pair youth with experience in 2025.

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Bortoleto and Hulkenberg are unlikely to have particularly high expectations going into next year.

Sauber are still yet to score a point this year and it would be a real surprise if they broke that pointless streak during the final three races of the campaign.

Many will disagree with Tost that Hulkenberg isn’t at the required level to be in Formula 1 anymore.

However, he’ll have with work cut out lifting Sauber from the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship next year.