Haas and Komatsu “speechless” after incredible points haul in Austria

Haas loves Austria very much. It was at Spielberg that the American team achieved its best overall result in Formula 1, in 2018, with 4th place in Romain Grosjean and 5nd place in Kevin Magnussen. It was also at Spielberg that she scored her second best score in her history, in 2022, still with the Dane and Mick Schumacher. And so it was in Spielberg, Sunday, that the American team scored a total of 12 points, its best result in two years.

If historically, Haas is comfortable on the Red Bull Ring, the VF-24 had to struggle for a long time to resist the attacks of its adversaries. Thanks to a good start, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg managed to consolidate their place in the Top 10 from the first rounds.

By opting for an offbeat strategy, with premature pit stops, the American team bet on the undercut during the two passages in the box. A profitable choice, since after each stop, the two Haas drivers were able to catch some air ahead of the Racing Bulls and the Alpine, with whom they were fighting.

Thanks to their excellent top speed, they were able to maintain their position advantage... before gaining two additional places at the end of the race, following the collision between Max Verstappen et Lando Norris. Final result: a 6th place for Nico Hülkenberg, an 8th place for Kévin Magnussen and above all, 12 points collected!

Hülkenberg in front of Pérez, “a major fact” for Haas

“It was a hell of a race, especially at the end where it was very intense, says the German, who defended body and soul his 6th position in front of the Red Bull of Sergio Pérez. It was tricky leaving Pérez behind in the last two laps, but in turn 3, I let him pass in front to have the DRS, which allowed me to get back in front. »

“I'm very happy, it's a double finish in the points for the team, which will help us a lot, he adds. I did not expect this. It's an incredible performance from the team, and I think it now confirms that in the middle of the pack, on all types of tracks, we are competitive. We can fight and that's really good news. »

A performance which impressed Ayao Komatsu, ecstatic with this overall result which allows Haas to move up in the Manufacturers' ranking to 7th place ahead of Alpine, and to pick up Racing Bulls for 6th place.

“I am very happy for everyone on the team. Sometimes we are unlucky, but today our execution was incredible, Nico and Kevin drove well, the pit stops were good, everything was perfect, rejoices the Haas Team Principal. I'm speechless, I'm so happy for everyone to get this result and for Nico, to beat Pérez consistently, it's a major achievement. »

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