Nico Hulkenberg made a name for himself as a skilled qualifier, consistently reaching the third qualifying session despite driving a car that is not among the top five fastest.
During the qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix, Haas showed promise as both their drivers advanced to the second qualifying session.
Unfortunately, after the session, both Haas cars were disqualified, meaning they will start at the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.
Following the news of disqualification, former team principal Guenther Steiner took to Instagram to address Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, confirming they will start in 19th and 20th positions.
The Haas drivers find themselves in very different situations after the first seven races of the season. Starting from the back of the grid in Monaco is especially challenging due to the circuit’s narrow and twisty layout.
Nico Hulkenberg has proven to be a strong qualifier, consistently reaching the third qualifying session despite driving a car that is not among the top five fastest.
His performance earned him a move to Sauber for the 2025 season, before their acquisition by Audi.
However, considering Sauber’s current lack of pace, he may be questioning his decision after the poor performance on Saturday.
The difference in lap times between the drivers was only a few hundredths of a second, preventing Hulkenberg from reaching the third qualifying session this time.
On the other hand, Kevin Magnussen has struggled to keep up with Hulkenberg both in qualifying and races this season.
His seat is being questioned, although he managed to eliminate Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez in the first qualifying session.
Initially scheduled to start in the middle of the grid, Haas now finds itself starting from the back row due to their disqualification.
Steiner addressed the situation humorously on Instagram, posting: “Anyone want to borrow my tape measure?”
The FIA’s official statement explained that the positions of the outermost elements of the upper rear wing were checked on cars number 20 (Magnussen) and 27 (Hulkenberg).
The outermost areas of the adjustable elements on both cars exceeded the maximum allowed of 85mm.
The stewards determined that the part related to the DRS system was not in compliance, leading to the disqualification.
According to parc ferme rules, teams cannot make certain adjustments, so Haas had to change the part, resulting in their disqualification.
Steiner’s playful comment is in line with his personality.
Now, Haas is hoping for chaos ahead of them in the race to have any chance of scoring points.
With teams like Williams, Alpine, and RB starting in the top ten, Haas’s position in the Constructors’ Championship could be significantly affected.
