Nico Hulkenberg has expressed his concerns about Haas’ chances in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship and believes the team is ‘lost’ unless his team finds a magical solution to its problems. Haas continues to deal with serious tire problems that hinder its performance in races, especially on hot and winding circuits. This has led to a difficult season for the team, especially in the recent Italian Grand Prix.
Haas has struggled to get to grips with its car’s tire problems throughout the 2023 season. These problems have prevented the team from translating the often good qualifying results into successful races. Especially on circuits with high temperatures and many corners, where Pirelli’s tires have a hard time, Haas struggles to remain competitive.
The low point of Haas’ season came at the Italian Grand Prix, where Hülkenberg and his teammate Kevin Magnussen finished seventeenth and eighteenth and were even put a lap behind by other drivers at the front. Hülkenberg described the race as one of the most difficult and worst of the season, with Haas losing tire grip and the car’s balance seriously affected. “Everyone just drove through us, and we were not present in the race,” the German Haas driver told Motorsport.com.
Hülkenberg loses hope
Before the start of the second part of the season, Haas shared seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship with Williams. However, since then Williams’ Alexander Albon has almost doubled his points tally, while Haas has not scored any points since the Austrian Grand Prix. This has led to a ten-point gap between Haas and Williams, while Alfa Romeo has also moved closer in the championship. Hülkenberg expressed his concerns about the situation and admitted that he does not see his team overtaking Williams again. He stated: ‘To be honest, Williams seems to have disappeared over the horizon. They and McLaren have clearly made huge progress this year. I don’t see how we can turn this around unless we find something magical.’
As Haas prepares for the Singapore Grand Prix, the team is hoping for improvement. Although the high temperatures and the bumpy street circuit will pose challenges, the team takes hope from the stronger pace it showed in Zandvoort. Hülkenberg is cautiously optimistic and hopes that Haas can achieve a better position in midfield.
