EXCLUSIVE: ‘I’m here for the grind’ – Nico Hulkenberg on his Sauber return, Audi’s impending arrival and targeting F1’s top step

“Obviously, you’re always going off your references – last year and generally the past,” he explains. “We have what we have right now. There are some good and not so good things [about the car], so it’s just about looking at everything.

“It’s really a familiarisation phase, getting connected to the car and getting to grips with it. It’s a new car, a new team, and that always takes some time, effort and work – very detailed work – that doesn’t happen overnight. You can’t do it in theory, you have to be out there driving, and we’ve started that process.

READ MORE: Hulkenberg praises ‘fast as hell’ rookie team mate Bortoleto as he assesses Kick Sauber’s pre-season

“Are we going to walk out of the first few races with a smile or with a bit of a [frown]? That’s to be seen. For now, it’s important that we focus, work hard on the things that we can influence, and just maximise the opportunities and our potential.”

As it transpired, Hulkenberg and Kick Sauber left the season opener in Australia a couple of weeks later with huge smiles on their faces – having done exactly what he said above thanks to a composed, well-executed race in mixed weather conditions.

Exiting at the Q1 stage in a dry Qualifying session might have shown that a significant challenge lay ahead of Sauber if they were to climb back up the midfield order and become regular points scorers again, but when the heavens opened on race day, Hulkenberg and his new team were ready to pounce.