How Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg explains his performance in Formula 1 qualifying in Brazil and why it wasn’t enough for a top 10 grid position
Nico Hülkenberg is “satisfied” with Formula 1 qualifying in Brazil. The German racing driver assures Sky and ServusTV that he is, despite narrowly missing out on the top 10 on the grid for the Grand Prix in Sao Paulo in eleventh place
How close was it really? With a time of 1:10.547 minutes in Q2, Hülkenberg was 0.172 seconds slower than Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, who just managed to make it through in the AMR23.
And this despite the fact that Hülkenberg was clearly ahead in a direct comparison of the two fast laps, even at the start: according to F1 Tempo’s data analysis, Hülkenberg in the Haas was three tenths ahead of Stroll at the start of the second corner.
Stroll only caught up with Hülkenberg at turn 8 and then pulled away by over two tenths by turn 11. Thanks to better acceleration out of turn 12, Hülkenberg caught up again slightly, but not enough
Hülkenberg speaks of a “clean” qualifying session
However, he sticks to his positive conclusion and says: “If someone had told me that before the weekend, I would definitely have accepted it.”
After all, P4 in the only free practice session did not correspond to reality. “That looked better, but it was due to the fact that many [drivers] weren’t running the soft [tires],” explained Hülkenberg. “So it was okay. It was a clean qualifying with good, clean laps, and unfortunately that was all we could do. “
How Hülkenberg explains the Haas performance
But with P11, Hülkenberg has at least left some of his direct competitors from the basement of the Formula 1 standings behind him, such as both Alfa Romeo, both AlphaTauri and both Williams. So where does the strong Haas performance come from?
“Compared to the others, the car seems to be working a little better, but [the result] should again be taken with a pinch of salt,” says Hülkenberg. “On one lap, we have often not been so bad this year. I think it will still be more difficult for us in the sprint and in the race, with the pace and also with the tires. “
What chances Hülkenberg sees for the sprint race
That’s why Hülkenberg generally predicts a “difficult Saturday” for Haas, “but I actually feel comfortable in the car, feel comfortable on the track and in Brazil anyway. So that’s fine,” says the German.
Hülkenberg is then asked how he feels about the possibility of rain later in the weekend. His answer: “Yes, that’s always one of those things. It can be good, but it can also be very tricky somehow.”
“It’s a bit tricky and unpredictable every time. You always have to find your rhythm and hit the lines. It’s not a sure-fire success, but I wouldn’t mind a bit of weather chaos. Something can always happen, a bit of weather chaos wouldn’t be a bad thing. Otherwise, we’ll go all-in and see what happens. “
