Nico Hülkenberg is 32 years old and comes from Emmerich, Germany. He is a good-looking rooster and is quite tall at 1.84 meters. He has a magnificent head of hair and drives for Renault with the number 27.
Prior to being paired with Daniel Ricciardo, he was paired with Carlos Sainz and they got along well. Both drivers are known for their PR quality and presence, and it must be a dream for Renault to have two drivers of this quality on their team.
I’ve seen Nico at his best, pumped up and enjoying the highs of motorsport.
I’ve also seen him at his lows, such as at Hockenheim when he slid off the track on a wet track and had to walk back across the stones after his car crashed into the tire barrier. Despite these lows, Nico continues to be a strong presence in motorsport.
Nico loves to ride his bike and can often be seen doing so at tracks like Monte Carlo and Paul Ricard. It’s a handy way for him to get around, especially in Monaco where there is a long distance between the hospitality area, paddock, and pits. Riding his bike also means he doesn’t have to stop for too many selfies.
Nico is often accompanied by his trainer, Martin Poole, who is from Britain and is a likeable character. They make a great pair, as you can see by their similar heights and magnificent hairstyles. Martin meets Nico after sessions to provide him with his drink bottle, promotional watch, and other paraphernalia.
Nico is also often seen with his press officer, James Lloyd, who is a likeable young lad. Nico doesn’t mind having a bit of a joke with James, especially when the camera is nearby.
The other person you often see Nico with is Raoul Spanger (pictured on the right), his social media guy.
Nico’s girlfriend is Eglė Ruškytė, who is known for being very hard to photograph. Nico is a private person, but he does enjoy spending time with his friends and family. He is also very active on social media and enjoys interacting with his fans.
It is very hard to get a photo of Nico Hülkenberg and his girlfriend, Eglė Ruškytė, together. I managed to get this one last year in Abu Dhabi, but he was clever and would go down the paddock and then come back towards the entrance. If you want to get a photo of these two, you really have to work hard. This was as good as I got this year.
I have a funny story about this image. I was shooting in Abu Dhabi last year for testing, and Nico had just come out of a session with his trainer, Martin. I took a standard picture and then looked at it in the back of the camera before going to take another shot. Suddenly, they were in this crazy pose, which luckily I only shot three frames of and one of them, this one, was sharp. I asked him later to sign it and he put some very funny door bangs on it. I do like the fact that he plays up to me and I’m not sure if he does the same with other photographers, but he does like to give me these funny looks.
So, that’s a bit of background about Nico Hülkenberg, a likable German who is enjoying his Formula 1 career. Most of the paddock would love to see him on the podium soon, so fingers crossed for Nico Hülkenberg on the podium.
