Head-to-head · season 2026

NicoHulkenbergAudi vs EstebanOconHaas F1 Team

HUL leads the grade duel 7–6 — across the 13 rounds both were rated in, the car stripped out of the equation.

VS
#17The Index · 7.13
P21DI championship · 16 pts
0best-of-race
P15official · 6 pts
#12The Index · 7.71
P12DI championship · 39 pts
0best-of-race
P18official · 3 pts

Nico Hulkenberg vs Esteban Ocon: who is driving better in 2026?

the verdict, from the numbers

Nico Hulkenberg drives for Audi, Esteban Ocon for Haas F1 Team, so the raw results are not comparable — everything below has car performance taken out of it. Esteban Ocon leads on The Index, 7.71 to 7.13 — P12 against P17, a gap of 0.58 of a grade point. Round by round, Nico Hulkenberg has out-driven the other in 7 of 13 races where both were graded. Nico Hulkenberg's clearest advantage is Tyre Management — 9.99 against 7.71. Esteban Ocon takes Race Start back the other way, 8.66 to 6.38. They are effectively inseparable on Expected Position, Cleanliness. In the DriverIndex Championship — the same season paid on the official points scale, but on driver merit — Esteban Ocon sits P12 on 39 points to Nico Hulkenberg's P21 on 16. Officially they stand P18 and P15.

The nine dimensions

season averages, mirrored — the longer bar wins the metric
7.31 B Race Pace 7.80
7.91 C Consistency 8.33
6.69 D Attack & Defence 8.13
9.99 E Tyre Management 7.71
8.72 F Qualifying 7.00
6.38 G Race Start 8.66
8.62 I Cleanliness 8.49

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Race grade, round by round

gaps = not classified