Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg Taken Out by a Single Stone in One of F1’s Strangest DNFs in Barcelona

Audi F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg revealed that a stone hit his car and activated the kill switch during the Barcelona Grand Prix, ending the race for the F1 veteran.

Hulkenberg was engaged in a battle with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who went a little wide at the exit of Turn 12, putting one wheel in the gravel. The RB’s rear wheel ensured it shot stones onto Hulkenberg’s Audi R26 F1 car, puncturing the car’s nose and activating the kill switch.

Onboard footage showed the Audi immediately losing drive after Lawson went off the race track, prompting the disappointed German driver to return to the pits. However, the car could not be started again, bringing his race to an end. Speaking about the bizarre incident, Hulkenberg told Planet F1:

“He put a wheel in the gravel exit of [Turn] 12, kicked up a lot of gravel, and that gravel somehow one stone pulled the emergency trigger on the left of the roll hoop, and it just killed the car.”

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Apr 30, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg (27) arrives to the paddock area at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Hulkenberg made his F1 debut in 2010 with Williams, but mentioned that he had never seen or heard of an incident like this in his career. He added:

“I would have never seen or heard about this to be honest in my career.

“Very unlucky, strange… The timing of that, when you see what happened at the end, two higher placed cars dropping out….

“The racing world doesn’t want us to score yet.”

Unfortunately, his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, finished the race outside the points in P11, making it a no-points race weekend for Audi in Barcelona.

Lawson, who was unaware that his error had ended another driver’s race, reacted with surprise after he was told about Hulkenberg’s race retirement. He said:

“No way. Oh, that’s so unfortunate! Obviously, I had no idea, and if I could perfectly aim for something like that…!

“I had no idea. I just knew that he, that he dropped out.”

Lawson managed to finish in eighth place and score points.

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¡SURREALISTA! Una PIEDRA apagó el Audi de Hulkenberg, lo que le obligó a retirarse:

Hulkenberg: “Me encontré con algo de grava después de que Lawson se saliera de la pista. Una piedra golpeó el interruptor de apagado del ERS y el coche se apagó. Se acabó la carrera”.… pic.twitter.com/x0lTHA8zlX— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) June 14, 2026

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¡SURREALISTA! Una PIEDRA apagó el Audi de Hulkenberg, lo que le obligó a retirarse:

Hulkenberg: “Me encontré con algo de grava después de que Lawson se saliera de la pista. Una piedra golpeó el interruptor de apagado del ERS y el coche se apagó. Se acabó la carrera”.… pic.twitter.com/x0lTHA8zlX— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) June 14, 2026