U.S. team Haas’ verdict on the Formula One race weekend in Austin: how well the technical update worked and what the new set-up brought
Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg narrowly missed out on the points at his team’s Formula One home race at the 2023 USA Grand Prix in Austin, finishing eleventh. Nevertheless, he takes “some positive signs” from the weekend, which saw Haas bring the long-awaited technical update for the VF-23 to the grid.
Team boss Günther Steiner stresses, however, that the new parts are “not a magic solution”.
But they now know better about the update and want to “step it up a notch for Mexico” after evaluating the data, says Steiner. “Let’s hope that in Mexico we get more in the direction of what is possible with the car. Some statements from Kevin [Magnussen] and Nico were encouraging. “
Set-up change is viewed positively
After Sunday’s Grand Prix, both drivers felt the last-minute set-up change after the sprint was “the right decision,” even if it resulted in a pit lane start for both Haas cars.
“It went much better than on Saturday,” Hülkenberg says. “We were much more competitive, but of course you pay the price when you come from the very back.”
That’s why he can only describe his race as “not easy” and “difficult.” Continuing, Hülkenberg says, “We had to do a lot of coasting. But compared to others, the pace was okay, at least from my perspective.” He also says tire wear, so far the VF-23’s biggest weakness in 2023, was not as bad as in previous races.
Hülkenberg: Just short of the points
More: “It’s been a long time since I really overtook someone and didn’t get overtaken myself. That felt good,” said Hülkenberg.
However, he is a bit annoyed about narrowly missing out on points: 1.9 seconds were missing out on P10 after 56 race laps. “If we’d had a half-decent qualifying session and had started in midfield, we might have been able to fight for points,” says Hülkenberg.
Magnussen, on the other hand, is not talking about a possible top-10 result, especially since he was a bit further away than Hülkenberg in P14. He, too, praises the set-up change for the Grand Prix and the resulting better downforce level. But, “It still wasn’t enough, because we weren’t fast enough.”
He therefore hopes for further improvements with a better understanding of the Haas update. “We still have to find more there,” Magnussen says. “Because so we arrived practically in the position we were already in when we started from the pit lane. So we have to keep at it. “
