(Motorsport-Total.com) – Audi racing director Allan McNish described the near-collision of his drivers in the start phase of the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort as “a bit too much ‘Days of Thunder’ for my pulse.”
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The scenes are indeed similar: In the 1990 NASCAR film, an accident occurs in front of Cole Trickle (played by Tom Cruise), whose true extent is obscured by a cloud of smoke. Trickle drives to the right through the smoke and thus passes the accident site.
This is the parallel to Hülkenberg in Zandvoort: Directly in front of him, Gabriel Bortoleto spins away and disappears into a cloud of smoke. Hülkenberg decides at the last moment to swerve left – and he also avoids contact with the crashed car.
But the situation was not as trivial as this description might suggest. At least not for McNish: “Only in the replay does it become clear how close it really was between our cars. I hadn’t really realized that Nico had driven right through the smoke cloud,” said McNish. Hülkenberg missed Bortoleto’s second Audi R26 by only a few centimeters.
All just a matter of racing instinct?
This earns McNish a lot of respect, especially since McNish, as a former racing driver, knows exactly what happens in the cockpit in such a situation. He explained: “When something happens in front of you, on the one hand, a thought process takes place. On the other hand, there is also your instinct. It’s about this feeling for what you have to do and where you have to go. Some have it, some don’t.”
Hülkenberg seems to have this feeling because he recognized that after the spin in the steep curve before the start/finish, Bortoleto would move down to the right. According to McNish, that is Hülkenberg’s real achievement: “Because such cars tend to move uphill rather than downhill on the slope.”
At this point, McNish also includes Bortoleto in his praise: “He managed to keep the car in the middle of the track and prevent it from being carried up into the wall. That impressed me a lot.”
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“Whether it was instinct, skill, concentration, or something else: that was damn well caught. Because anyone who has ever watched [oval racing in] NASCAR or IndyCar knows that it requires quite a bit of skill,” said McNish.
Why McNish understands the spin
The spin itself “can happen,” the Audi racing director continued. “[The steep curve] was by far the most difficult corner on the entire track at that point in the race.” It was Max Verstappen’s downfall: The four-time Formula 1 world champion crashed just before Bortoleto but, unlike Bortoleto, damaged the car and retired immediately.
Audi could also have ended up empty-handed if there had been a collision between Hülkenberg and Bortoleto. Instead, the Audi duo finished eighth and 13th and continued the recent points streak of the Formula 1 newcomer, which has lasted since Silverstone. Hülkenberg scored points for the second time in a row. (Photo series: The Audi milestones in Formula 1)
The Audi milestones in Formula 1
“To come away with points after such a first lap is very satisfying from this perspective,” said McNish. “But as the saying goes: You just have to be there when the opportunity arises. And we took that chance.” Just like Cole Trickle in “Days of Thunder.”
There is one big difference to the film scene, however: Crew chief Harry Hogge has to practically urge Trickle to drive through the smoke cloud (“Drive through it!” – “Drive through it!”). Hülkenberg managed that in Zandvoort without instruction. But his pulse probably rose during this scene as well. Hülkenberg radioed excitedly: “That was crazy! I almost hit him!”