Haas scored its first point of the season in Jeddah and seems to be better than expected – But: This is also how Haas started 2023
Haas scored a surprising points haul in Jeddah with Nico Hülkenberg’s tenth place, moving up to sixth in the constructors’ championship. For the Americans, who were expecting a difficult start to the season, this is a good start, but Hülkenberg warns that it is just that: a good start.
Because that was also the case last year. “Kevin also scored a point here, and I scored points in Melbourne – and then it kind of slipped away from us,” says the German.
In fact, Haas had also finished tenth in Jeddah in 2023 and scored the first point of the season thanks to Kevin Magnussen. This was followed by a surprising seventh place for Hülkenberg in Melbourne, who was able to benefit a little from the re-start chaos.
It was to be Hülkenberg’s last top 10 result in a Grand Prix until last Saturday. Magnussen took another tenth place in the fifth race of the season in Miami, but after that it was low tide for Haas.
Four races later, Hülkenberg scored points again in the Spielberg sprint, but on Sunday there was nothing worthwhile for either Haas driver. The only point in the second half of the season was scored by Magnussen in Singapore, otherwise the high tire wear of the VF-23 dominated the headlines.
The team had worked on this over the winter, and so far it looked as if the problem was under control. “It feels better and is a much better foundation and base,” confirms Hülkenberg, “but we have to confirm it every time. “
The results were basically the same as in 2023, at least in the first two races: in Bahrain, they finished outside the points, but not quite at the back, and in Jeddah, they scored their first point and finished tenth to twelfth.
However, the German does not want to make a comparison with last year’s race: “I don’t remember it at all. I mean, I remember the result, but it was only my second race after my comeback, so I certainly wasn’t at the level I’m at now. Things were different and I learned a lot.”
The initial conclusion of 2024 is good, but Hülkenberg warns against exaggerated expectations: “We have to wait for a few more different tracks and weekends to see if we can confirm this,” he says.
