Head-to-head · season 2026

NicoHulkenbergAudi vs GeorgeRussellMercedes

George Russell leads 8–4 in the race-grade duel, across the rounds both were rated in.

vs
#15The Index · 7.62
P14DriverIndex Championship · 50 pts
P14Official · 11 pts
#11The Index · 8.23
P12DriverIndex Championship · 75 pts
P2Official · 204 pts

Round by round

the race grade decides each round · click a round for the full analysis
MEL – 7.8 SHA 7.7 8.8 MIA – 7.4 CAN 7.4 – ESP – 8.1 AUT 8.1 8.3 GBR 7.6 7.8 SPA 7.2 – NED 7.9 8.3 ITA 7.6 8.3 MAD 7.6 8.4 BAK 8.8 9.9 MAL 7.9 9.1

The nine dimensions

season grades, mirrored — the longer bar wins the measure
8.18 OVD Overdelivery 7.27
7.56 PAC Race Pace 8.45
8.14 CON Consistency 8.09
6.90 ATK Attack & Defence 8.10
9.51 TYR Tyre Management 7.68
8.54 QUA Qualifying 7.63
6.88 STA Race Start 7.56
8.98 PIT Pit Stop Execution 7.91
8.75 CLN Cleanliness 9.52

Race grade, round by round

gaps = not classified

Nico Hulkenberg vs George Russell: who is driving better in 2026?

Nico Hulkenberg drives for Audi, George Russell for Mercedes, so the raw results are not comparable — everything on this page has car performance taken out of it. George Russell leads on The Index, 8.23 to 7.62 — P11 against P15, a gap of 0.61 of a grade point. Round by round, George Russell has out-driven the other in 8 of 12 races where both were graded. Nico Hulkenberg's clearest advantage is Tyre Management — 9.51 against 7.68. George Russell takes Attack & Defence back the other way, 8.10 to 6.90. They are effectively inseparable on Consistency. In the DriverIndex Championship — the same season paid on the official points scale, but on driver merit — George Russell sits P12 on 75 points to Nico Hulkenberg's P14 on 50. Officially they stand P2 and P14.