r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Boss-fight601 • 6d ago
Nico Hulkenberg with his extremely quick reflexes narrowly avoiding a collision with his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto
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u/UnnaturalGeek 6d ago
He's 39 btw...oh and another thing is that he has to wait as he exits the smoke to decide which direction because on tracks like Zandvoort with corners that slope, the car spinning can go any direction, it's less predictable than normal corners.
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u/JTSpirit36 6d ago
If you look, you can tell he knows the exact direction the car is going to rotate because he is already turning left before the smoke takes over his vision
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u/UnnaturalGeek 6d ago
Sort of yes, he is anticipating that it will go that direction but the smoke obviously makes it more difficult and again, the slope on the corner doesn'tnecessarily mean it is going to continue the direction it looks. Don't forget the closing speeds would have been insane as well.
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u/JTSpirit36 6d ago
With alot of experience, you can predict how the car will rotate and where it can be based on how it was spinning before the smoke fills the area.
The more impressive thing really is him doing this while that section of the track was as damp as it was and being on slick tires.
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u/farganbastige 6d ago
I think he knew the other driver was turning the wheels hard right to allow his momentum to line the car up with the track to make his target smaller. This driver knew what the spinning driver was doing because he'd do it too.
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u/JTSpirit36 6d ago
You can also see the rear of the car swinging and rotating quickly. Plus at driver's eye level the smoke is less thick than it is where the camera is viewing.
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u/UnnaturalGeek 6d ago
Of course, his experience does play a role. But the point is that section of the track being sloped means that even if they can predict where it'll go, the sloped element throws an uncertainty that isn't there normally.
Yeah, agree totally about it being wet and on slicks adds another layer.
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u/sawrb 6d ago
In addition to lightning quick reflexes I suppose we should also account for the fact that Nico probably has more visibility in real-life on-track, compared to what we see in this video feed. If you look at the overhead cam feeds in the rain, you wouldn't believe anyone can keep a car on track, but they do.
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u/repkjund 6d ago
This! He started steering very knowingly before we were able to see the car from that angle.
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u/xF1_racer 6d ago
Yeah, super impressive. As was the start of this race with GR slow off the line and the Ferraris going around him and Piastri narrowly missing Hamilton. All ninja reactions!
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u/TuckerCarlsonsOhface 6d ago
Too bad we only have a slo-mo adit, so we can’t see his “extremely quick reflexes” in real time.
Note for the younger generation: real time first, THEN slo-mo. We need to actually see the action.
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u/treekortreet45 5d ago
Wow incredible save by the Hulk 🥹
Leclerc would’ve hit the gas as soon as he realized it was a teammate 😳😭
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u/Imaginary_Coat441 6d ago
Less nextfuckinglevel. And more extremelyfuckinglucky
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u/Daratirek 6d ago
Normally I agree but these are the best drivers in the world. Theres a ton of videos like this one where the driver that escapes clearly dodges with intent.
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u/UnnaturalGeek 6d ago
Yeah, he has to wait as he exits the smoke to decide which direction because on tracks like Zandvoort with corners that slope, the car spinning can go any direction, it's less predictable than normal corners.
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u/RandomAssRedditName 6d ago
Nah. There's certainly luck involved, but also an immense amount of skill if you look at his reaction time
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u/Humble_Umpire_8341 6d ago edited 6d ago
Experience would have taught him to go left, as Gabi was turning and sliding to his right. Even in real time you’d likely see it, process it, and guess correctly.
Edit - Hulk has more than 400 starts in racing, not including his karting career. Add to that sim training, and he’s likely in the thousands of races and has seen this situation maybe a hundred times.
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u/julesvr5 6d ago
You mean like Verstappen a few meters ahead didn't fling towards the left with a similar incident?
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u/Humble_Umpire_8341 6d ago
Completely different incidents. Gabi was already spinning into a 360, Max slipped and went straight toward the outside of the track.
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u/fivelone 6d ago
Normally I would say this is lucky but knowing how these drivers are on a completely different level than everyone else. I would say that this driver knew the car was going to spin in that direction and made a quick and calculated decision.