Evolution makes Haas 'tricky to drive', but Hulkenberg places 6th for Sprint

Sixth on the grid for this Saturday's event, Nico Hulkenberg did not hide his surprise… from Q1! The German expected not to place his Haas in the top fifteen, and therefore to see his Sprint qualifying session stop in the first segment. The one who will carry the Audi project with a seat from 2025 at Sauber has managed to feel better and better in his car over the sessions, until he achieved sixth place in Q3.

"I still have to manage to realize it, it was a difficult session, full of ups and downs", he explained to the microphone of the official website of the F1. “I didn’t feel comfortable with the car in Q1, my laps weren’t very good either. I didn’t expect us to get through to Q2, I think we were lucky to qualify. Q2 was better, and Q3 was even better with the soft tyres.”

The only slight downside is the German driver's feelings about the developments made by the American team at home. Engaged in a fight for sixth place in the constructors' standings with Racing Bulls, Haas was hoping to make a real step forward in terms of performance. If this seems to be the case on one lap, Hülkenberg is worried about the lack of stability of his car, particularly in fast corners when the wind is blowing. A parameter that could make the race relays more complex, and which will have to be adjusted as best as possible on the next events.

"We still need to analyse the data to see what the changes have or have not brought to the car. The car was tricky to drive here, especially with the wind. We have more data to look at, and maybe we'll make some changes to the settings in the next races."

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