Nico Hülkenberg will start his first Australian Grand Prix with the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team from twelfth on the grid, only missing out on a top ten qualifying position by less than a tenth of a second.
The midfield runners have been close all weekend long at Albert Park, with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Sahara Force India F1 Team, the Haas F1 Team and Renault often being extremely close on times, and it was unfortunate that Hülkenberg fell on the wrong side of the cut-off point in Q2 to be able to advance.
The German is expecting the midfield to continue to be a close battle during the race on Sunday, and he is hopeful of securing a points finish on his first appearance with the team following his switch from Force India during the off-season.
“That was a solid first qualifying session with the team,” said Hülkenberg. “We were just tenths away from Q3 and it was definitely on the cards however I struggled a bit with the balance and grip on my fastest Q2 lap so it wasn’t to be.
“It is difficult to predict what to expect tomorrow; but what I do know is that the midfield is very competitive. It should be an interesting fight in the race and points are the target.”
