'It’s Not Ideal And It’s Bitter' Nico Hulkenberg Comments On Performance Of His Haas
F1Wednesday, 08 November 2023 at 13:00
Haas F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg explained the weaknesses of his car after the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos Circuit.
Nico Hulkenberg started the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix from 11th place on the grid with a decent chance to grab some valuable points for his team, which is currently last in the Championship.
The race did not go well from the first lap when he got sandwiched and collided with Alex Albon. Fortunately for the German driver, he was able to continue.
However, the main weakness of his car showed during the rest of the race as he could not keep pace with anybody, not even the WIlliams of Logan Sargeant.
In the end, Hulk crossed the finish line 12th out of 14 drivers who finished the race in front of Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri, who started the race a lap down. The Haas driver commented on recently introduced car upgrades for Sky Deutschland:
"It’s not a clear step forward. We understand that now, and we know that. It feels similar in some places, better in some, and worse in some. At the end of the day, it’s balanced."
Haas introduced the car upgrades in Austin, and similar to Aston Martin, it did not work out well for the team. What's more, the team has not scored a single point since the Singapore Grand Prix.
"But we actually needed a real step forward in performance. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We have to go into it and see how we approach the topics of car concept and aerodynamics for next year."
Both Hulkenberg and his teammate Kevin Magnussen are often pretty strong in qualifying but struggle with very high tire wear during the race, which makes it impossible to compete for points.
"Aerodynamics is currently our biggest weak point and we have to address that. Otherwise, it will be next year run similarly."
Hulkenberg is clearly not satisfied with Sunday performances. It is hard for the driver to start the weekend in a decent position just to fall down the grid during the race on Sunday.
"It’s not ideal and it’s bitter on Sunday afternoon – on Monday and Tuesday too. By Wednesday, I’ve usually digested it again and live my life. Sundays aren’t usually that much fun."
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