Nico Hulkenberg, Haas Formula 1 driver, expressed the need to analyze his restart in Suzuka after encountering an anti-stall issue that prevented him from gaining an additional point. During the Japanese Grand Prix, Hulkenberg had a good start, overtaking Yuki Tsunoda to secure a points position. However, during the second pit stop restart, he had a delay in response to the lights, causing him to drop six positions to 16th. Hulkenberg attributed this to an issue with his VF-24 and expressed his intention to investigate the problem further.
The setback in the restart frustrated Hulkenberg’s hopes of adding one more point to his and his team’s score. However, the pace shown by Haas was impressive compared to their midfield rivals. The team did not expect to be competitive in Suzuka, which posed a significant challenge for the American team. Hulkenberg admitted his surprise at being able to recover from the poor restart and acknowledged the strong performance of the team.
Hulkenberg acknowledged that they had the potential to compete with other midfield teams and praised the overall performance of the car. Despite missing the chance to battle with Yuki, he remained positive and recognized the progress made. Hulkenberg expressed his satisfaction with the result and looked forward to the upcoming races.
Haas aims to challenge their main rivals, RB, for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Currently, both teams are the only ones in the midfield to have scored points, with RB leading the way.
When asked about the car’s performance compared to its predecessor, Hulkenberg expressed his excitement about the significant progress made and future developments.
“It’s much better than last year,” Hulkenberg stated. “And we also have other improvements in progress. We still have untapped potential in terms of car setup, so there is definitely room for further improvements.”
“I have a positive feeling this year that we are in a better position than last year,” he added.
Hulkenberg revealed that the first set of upgrades for the challenging VF-24 from Haas will be introduced at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, he emphasized the importance of finding performance gains through testing and ensuring that the upgrades are effective.
“Before bringing any upgrade to the track, we need to validate its performance, whether in the wind tunnel or elsewhere. Otherwise, it would be pointless,” explained the German driver.
“But our goal is to continuously improve throughout the season. China is just part of the upgrade package, with more upgrades planned for later in Imola.”
“It’s a gradual process, step by step. We always need to bring the upgrades to the track and confirm that they deliver as expected, ensuring that the correlation between the wind tunnel and actual performance is accurate.”
