The Italian GP was a huge disappointment for Nico Hülkenberg: The Haas driver started from tenth place, but “everything was lost on the first lap ”
Bitter disappointment for Nico Hülkenberg: At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza (race report!), the Haas driver had no chance in the battle for points and only finished in 17th position after several incidents. “I just have the feeling that we lost everything on the first lap,” said the German, drawing a disappointing conclusion.
Hülkenberg started the race from tenth position after a good qualifying session, but got into trouble as soon as he braked for the first chicane. “I just got stuck somehow, but in the wrong place, and then lost it,” said the Haas driver. “Of course, it’s always tight on the first lap.”
And that was by no means all! During an attack on Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls), Hülkenberg was forced off the track. “I had a good slipstream from him and got alongside on the outside, but he came back across at the entrance to turn 8 and didn’t really give me the space, or the car width, that we need to give ourselves.”
“I got into the dirt, the engine went into the well-known anti-stall and I then lost a few seconds, a few more places and was then obviously at the back of the field,” summarized the German, who then wanted to roll up the field from the rear.
Tsunoda collision “was a bit too much ”
“I then tried to make up ground. The attack on Yuki [Tsunoda] was obviously a bit too much,” Hülkenberg admits to Sky. However, he denies that he was driving with frustration after his unfortunate start. “I don’t think it was frustration, but of course you want to get back to the front and get through the field. “
“I think he saw me coming. He could have waited to turn in,” says Hülkenberg, taking the Japanese driver to task. Nevertheless, the stewards found the Haas driver at fault, who subsequently had to serve a 10-second penalty.
“Sure, I overshot a bit, but he could have prevented it himself because he definitely saw it. But it is what it is,” explained the 37-year-old, whose race was finally over after the collision with Tsunoda and the penalty
Hülkenberg had to change his front wing and “maybe there was further damage to the car due to the contact with Yuki on the underbody,” muses the Haas driver about his mixed performance. “I don’t know, I’ll have to have a look at it. “
Haas performance in Monza “very good ”
This is particularly annoying because Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen’s performance was very promising. “[He] scored a point and I think he would even have finished ninth without the penalty,” Hülkenberg reminds us that Magnussen also received a 10-second penalty after the collision with Pierre Gasly.
“That’s very good,” praises the German, who sees his Haas squad as the fifth-fastest team behind the top cars. “And I think we can be very satisfied with that. Compared to last year, it’s much better. “
Brisant: Hülkenberg collided with both Racing Bulls drivers, against whom Haas is fighting for sixth place in the constructors’ championship. However, he does not believe that this is the reason. “They are normal races,” says the 37-year-old, especially in view of the chaotic start phase.
“We were five or six cars in a row there, thrown together, and obviously I lost a lot. So I wanted to make up ground and we just touched each other,” said Hülkenberg, explaining the situation from his point of view. “But that has nothing to do with the championship. “
