The German driver is unharmed, but his race is likely over before it even begins.
Shocking news from Miami: Nico Hulkenberg, barring a miracle, will not take part in the Sprint Race. His Audi suffered an issue during the reconnaissance lap, with the team desperately trying to fix the car in the pits to get him to the start.
Saturday has started in the worst possible way for the driver and the German team: after leaving the pit lane, the car completed only 16 corners before stopping in flames at Turn 17. Hulkenberg, most importantly, exited the car on his own and is in good physical condition.
The work for Audi engineers to get the fire-damaged car back on track looks extremely difficult: a DNS in the Sprint now seems almost certain, with hopes that the car can at least be repaired in time for qualifying, which will begin in a few hours.
Photos: Formula 1
