Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg explains his performance in Formula 1 qualifying at Zandvoort and outlines his hopes for the Dutch Grand Prix
The second segment was the end of the line for Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg in Formula 1 qualifying at Zandvoort. With a time of 1:11.215 minutes, the German was over seven tenths off McLaren man Lando Norris’ Q2 best time, but still 0.080 seconds ahead of his Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
Although he was more than three tenths of a second off finishing in the top 10, Hülkenberg rated his performance as “pretty good” and even “positive” in an initial statement to Sky. He still “made the best of it”, says Hülkenberg, because his weekend in the Netherlands had been “anything but good” so far.
What Hülkenberg means by this is that he had struggled in mixed conditions in Friday practice, skidding off the track several times and finally even flying off in turn 1 and smashing into the barriers. As a result, the Haas driver was also behind the competition in terms of experience.
“We just went from one epidemic to the next,” explained Hülkenberg. He had found “no rhythm at all” and had “no feeling” for his Haas VF-24.
“That’s why the motto in qualifying was: just drive, build up somehow, lap by lap.” That’s why his team scheduled three attempts for him in the first segment. “That helped,” says Hülkenberg.
But it was close: Racing Bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo retired in P16, while Hülkenberg, who was 0.111 seconds faster, just made it into the second qualifying segment in P15. Hülkenberg is therefore “quite satisfied” with P14 on the grid in Zandvoort. Reason: “For the session and under the circumstances, it was the highest of feelings. And I didn’t have the speed to get further up the field. “
Why Hülkenberg and Zandvoort 2024 are not a good match
The question remains as to why Hülkenberg finds Zandvoort more difficult than anywhere else. On ServusTV, the German answers: “Zandvoort is simply an old-school race track. You don’t have much of a buffer for mistakes here. Mistakes are punished relatively harshly with gravel and little run-off area. It’s a very dicey and challenging track.”
Hülkenberg says that “a lot of little things went wrong on his weekend so far, which ultimately led to the incidents” in Friday practice. “That accumulated over the entire weekend and continued until this morning. I somehow didn’t drive much. “
True: 18 laps in the first free practice session (nobody was busier!) were followed by ten more laps in session two and just five more in the third free practice session on Saturday. That makes a total of 33 laps. By way of comparison: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri completed 14, 33 and ten laps, making a total of 57 laps, almost twice as many.
“So I’m not at all dissatisfied with the quali and how it went, because the starting position was very sporting,” says Hülkenberg. The time lost in preparation “obviously takes its revenge”. Because you “always have the impression that you are one step behind”, explains the Formula 1 driver. “But that’s the way it is now and we have to make the best of it. “
What Hülkenberg has in mind for the race
And what would be “the best” from Hülkenberg’s perspective? He refrains from setting a specific target and simply says: “You have a bit more time in the race, you can get into the groove. We’re not off to an ideal start, but everyone in the midfield is close together. And I hope that we can pull ahead a bit and challenge Albon, Gasly and others.”
With Williams driver Alexander Albon and Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, Hülkenberg is referring to the men in positions eight and ten, i.e. in places that would be worth championship points at the end of the race. Which at least suggests that Hülkenberg is speculating on a top 10 result at the Dutch Grand Prix
Wind as Haas’ biggest opponent in Zandvoort
But would he prefer possible rain to a dry track? “To be honest, I don’t have a preference,” says Hülkenberg. “I’ll take it as it comes.”
There’s just one thing he doesn’t need: wind. The changeable weather had already “given him a stomach ache” in qualifying and the wind had made his car “difficult” to drive. “So I’d prefer a little less wind,” says Hülkenberg. “We feel that we have problems with it. I would have needed more consistency and a better balance. “
