Hulkenberg's razor-thin Dutch GP save earns 'spectacular' praise from Rosberg

Nico Hulkenberg produced one of the most nerve-shredding moments of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend when he narrowly avoided a high-speed collision with Audi team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto on the opening lap at Zandvoort, with 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg calling the reaction “spectacular.”

The incident unfolded after residual wet patches on the otherwise dry circuit caught several drivers out at Turn 14. Max Verstappen hit a damp spot and crashed into the barriers, while Bortoleto suffered a similar loss of control, spinning 360 degrees before continuing. As Bortoleto spun directly in front of him, Hulkenberg drove into a wall of tyre smoke — and emerged from it to find his team-mate stationary in his path.

“It just shows how quick those drivers react,” Rosberg said. “Hulkenberg went in; he knew more or less where Bortoleto was, where his trajectory was going. He has a white wall, but then at the last moment sees him and bam, reacts and avoids [a crash]. It was a spectacular reaction from Hulkenberg, so I don’t think it was just luck. I think there was also some skill there to avoid that big crash.”

Hulkenberg himself described the moment in vivid terms when speaking to media after the race. “It was tricky and dicey. Naturally, I saw it all happen almost in slow motion at that speed,” the 39-year-old said. “Turn 14 was simply still completely wet and, on slicks, it’s a bit of a thriller. I saw him lose the car — like I said, slow motion and at speed. But then you don’t know exactly whether he’s going to slide up or slide down, what’s going to happen.”

The German driver added that he deliberately delayed his decision on which way to go for as long as possible, compounding the difficulty with debris and smoke from Verstappen’s crash further up the road. “I slowed down and tried to wait as long as possible before deciding which way to go,” he said. “A sheet of paper would have fitted between us, but not much more.”

Despite the drama, Hulkenberg converted the chaotic lap into Audi’s best result of the season, crossing the line in eighth place to collect four championship points. Bortoleto recovered from his spin to finish 13th.