Метка: Nico Hulkenberg

Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Nico Hulkenberg believes Haas’s current investment drive will help it become a “serious competitor in the years to come” in Formula 1, as he prepares to head to Sauber/Audi.

The German driver will leave Haas after a fruitful two-year stint at the American squad – one season working under former team boss Guenther Steiner and one year in the new regime under former engineering director Ayao Komatsu.

Haas is in a much better constructors’ championship position in 2024 as its car package no longer destroys its tyres during races.

This means Hulkenberg’s continued qualifying heroics since returning as a full-time F1 driver in 2023 have been converted into six points finishes, with Kevin Magnussen and his one-off replacement Ollie Bearman also scoring.

The team is currently just three points behind RB in a close battle for the lucrative sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

Team owner Gene Haas has already been convinced to sign off on a recruitment drive designed to increase the squad’s 300-person size by 10% and is believed to have also green-lit a significant investment in the facilities at the team’s UK base in Banbury.

When asked how he predicts Haas’s future will go once he heads to the Sauber team that will become Audi in 2026 amidst F1’s next rules reset in an exclusive interview with Autosport, Hulkenberg replied: “I think the team is set up very well now.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

“And I think it’s a working organisation and I think we’ve proved that to some extent this year where with the changes that happened over winter.

“It [also] always depends also on many other factors. Commercially – what kind of partners do they have, what are the budget, what are the resources?

“That’s obviously a key element in that kind of question. And I don’t know that going forward, what will happen here.

“But I hear that there is some more exciting stuff in the pipeline for the team, which will only help them, I think.

“And I think Haas is going to be a serious competitor in the years to come, especially definitely next year still because the regulations are stable.

“2026 is an unknown for everyone, but the exciting thing is 2026 is a white piece of paper and that makes it so interesting for everyone who could do a better job than other teams and stand out.”

You can read the full interview with Hulkenberg here.



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The critical element Haas needed for Hulkenberg to crack an old F1 weakness

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says convincing Nico Hulkenberg to buy into a different approach to winter testing is behind their much-improved results in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The American squad, which came last in 2023, is currently engaged in a close fight with RB for sixth place in the constructors’ championship, as three points separate them with the final six races of the campaign looming.

Hulkenberg has scored 54.2% of Haas’s 31 points so far – compared to 66.7% of its nine in 2023 – with the team’s impressive improvement in form long credited to is design alterations in the VF-24 compared to the VF-23, meaning its drivers can now keep their tyres alive and push on harder in races.

But while the current Haas car is a much better machine, Komatsu has now revealed how he sees the team’s gains as much down to improvements on the driver side as well.

In an exclusive interview with Autosport, Komatsu explains that he feels Hulkenberg has been “better” overall compared to the driver who restarted his career with Haas last year, but “not better in terms of giving us reference in qualifying, in terms of tyre management, race management”.

In 2023, Hulkenberg was a regular qualifying star for Haas but could not score regular points due to the team’s struggles with in-race tyre wear.

Hulkenberg has already matched his 2023 Q3 appearances total (eight) with a quarter of the season remaining, but his team boss is adamant he has been “so much better” at in-race tyre management too due to a key decision taken at the start of the year.

“It doesn’t just come from him,” Komatsu added. “Just the whole team, the way that we work together from pre-season testing, involving drivers in the centre to understand how he needs to manage tyres.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, with his engineers

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, with his engineers

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Yes, the car is better, so it’s easier to manage. But from his side as well, I think his understanding is much better.

“And then because we’ve been focused on it from day one, I think he knows he feels how much time on tyre management will make a difference.

“So, he’s much more open to, let’s say, input as well. So, on that side, the long-run sustained running, I think he’s better. Qualifying, I think same, but ‘same’ as in ‘very good’.”

Komatsu is referring to how Haas completed 15 long-run stints across the opening two days of Bahrain pre-season testing – with no time spent on the soft tyres conducting performance running – before both Magnussen and Hulkenberg did a full race simulation on the final day.

“We had to do that race practice – tyre management – in pre-season testing,” Komatsu says – explaining that Haas’s plan was to do this to get a full understanding on its tyre wear over longer stints.

“Last year, of course we were trying to get him to do the management, but he’s not totally bought into it because he hasn’t experienced how much difference it’s going to make.”

When asked why this had been the case, Komatsu replied: “You’ve got to believe that it’s going to have such sensitivity.

“You’re telling the driver, ‘you’ve got to, let’s say, lose tenths in certain corners’. How painful is that?

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“But then you’ve got to understand that ‘if you do this, you see the payback in a good way’. ‘If you don’t do it, this is the result of it’. But unless you experience it and see on the data – feel it back to back – it’s very difficult to accept it black and white.

“I don’t think tyre management was ever his strength. If you look at the previous races he used to do with Renault, I don’t think it was his strength and obviously these tyres are so sensitive.

“So, again, when he came back [for] 2023 in the pre-season testing, of course, we didn’t have the same focus, right?

“But this winter, for me, there was no option. It’s not optional. It’s not conditional.

“It’s just: ‘No, we’ve got to understand this one. We’ve got to get the drivers to experience it – the consequences, positive or negative – then they will buy into it.’ Then they know why they’re doing what they’re doing’.”

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Hulkenberg also said Haas’s pre-season tyre wear work was “good” and “a lot of work also there understanding different strategies, how to manage the tyre”.

“It was, I think, a good learning experience for us,” he told Autosport. “We don’t, obviously in race weekends, have a lot of practice to play around with that.

“So, it was good, but at the same time because the car and the aero characteristic was so fundamentally different that we were not in the same boat anymore as last year, it was immediately better.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, in the cockpit

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, in the cockpit

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“So, you know, did we have to do that much in hindsight? Maybe not.

“But anyway, it was good. And if you do low-fuel runs in testing, for me anyway, that’s not very useful. I don’t need it. So, I liked the way we approached that.”

Hulkenberg is set to leave Haas and join Sauber for 2025 – you can read how he views leaving the much-improved Haas to join now the worst team on the grid in the soon-to-be Audi works team in this exclusive interview in the latest Autosport magazine.



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The two Hulkenberg errors that boosted Colapinto and Bearman in Baku

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A «flustered» Nico Hulkenberg’s two late errors boosted rookie Formula 1 drivers Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman, plus Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton, in unseen incidents at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s close.

By keeping his pace high and medium tyres alive in the first stint on Sunday, Hulkenberg was eventually given a team order to move past temporary team-mate Bearman ahead, while his impressive tyre management on the hards later in the race meant he had split the Williams pair that had started ahead and was on for 10th place.

But on lap 48, Hulkenberg clipped the Turn 15 approach wall and, after feeling he had sustained a puncture Haas could not see in its data, as well as some confusion about his engine mode at this stage, the overall momentum loss meant Colapinto slipped his Williams back ahead Turn 3 on the next tour.

At the same spot in the immediate aftermath of the Perez/Sainz crash the next time by, Hulkenberg failed to react in time to a green flag marker board just past the shunt scene and was jumped by Hamilton and Bearman.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

The wall strike incident cost Haas an eventual eighth place given what happened between Perez and Sainz and the spots in the top 10 they relinquished, although Bearman was able to secure the final point in his pass on Hulkenberg.

Of this moment, Komatsu told Autosport that «after [the] yellow, [Hulkenberg] hit something and he was flustered and the yellow finishes before Turn 3.

«He was like, ‘this should be safety car’, just completely flustered and then Hamilton and Ollie just went through.»

When asked if Haas was surprised the race officials took as long as they did to activate a virtual safety car, or even if it had thought the race would be stopped, Komatsu replied: «I thought it was going to be red.

«But to be honest it’s kind of the same mistake as Nico made. I thought, ‘This should be red’. It’s like, ‘Yes, it should be but whatever I think it should be it doesn’t matter, we’ve just got to fucking focus on what’s in front of us’.

«Nico is thinking that it should be a safety car. Yes, fine, but just focusing right now [was the better thing to do].»

Speaking to media crews afterwards, Hulkenberg alluded to how «everything that can go wrong, went wrong» in these incidents «and we lost everything».

Azerbaijan GP

«So, it was very disappointing and frustrating,» he added. «Unfortunately, we have to take it as it is, wipe our mouths and move on in a few days.»

He later said the race on a track he detests «was actually going better than expected» as he «managed to find some rhythm and pace, which I’m very happy and pleased about» – given Bearman had beaten him by 0.223s and three spots in Baku qualifying.

«With the accident at the end I got caught off guard,» Hulkenberg explained. «For me, it was a straight safety car or even a red flag as there was some real carnage down the straight.

«It was instead then a green flag, and I lost positions there and lost the result unfortunately.

«The whole track was covered in debris, and I ran over a massive piece, which I couldn’t see because of a car in front of me.

«It was a pretty crazy two last laps, but unfortunately not in our favour.»



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Audi CEO call «shows respect» and commitment to F1

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Nico Hulkenberg believes receiving a call from Audi CEO Gernot Doellner about management changes ahead of his move next season «shows respect» and underlines the German manufacturer’s commitment to its Formula 1 project.

Audi will take over the Hinwil-based outfit when joining the grid in 2026, with Hulkenberg recruited as the first confirmed driver for the team earlier this season as its preparations off track continue to take shape.

In recent weeks, the Audi F1 project has seen both Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann axed, with former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto installed as chief operating and chief technical officer.

Next year, Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley will also join Audi’s F1 team as its new team principal.

Hulkenberg was contacted by Doellner himself, and asked how important that was to him to be informed of the changes, he said: «I don’t know about important, but I think it’s certainly nice.

«It shows respect and shows how serious he and the brand are about it and that they’re not taking this lightly, that they paying attention. They do see what’s happening, what’s going on and that was good. Very good.»

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, leads Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber C44

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, leads Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber C44

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

For Hulkenberg, the call to front a German manufacturer’s bid in F1 marks a stunning career turnaround.

He was dropped by Renault at the end of the 2020 season and would spend three years on the sidelines as reserve driver for Silverstone-based Racing Point, then Aston Martin.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic offering race opportunities as a substitute, Hulkenberg was able to impress on-track and earn his way back onto the grid and, when Haas searched for a replacement for Mick Schumacher ahead of the 2023 campaign, he was called upon to fill the void.

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It is clear that Hulkenberg has faced challenges throughout his F1 career and the Audi project will be no different.

«It is a big challenge, no question about that,» he said. «Going to what will be Audi, what will be a German manufacturer, German driver, a lot of attention, a lot of expectation —  it’s not going to be an easy one.

«But my approach to my work and the definition isn’t changing. I’m going to go there with everything I have and then try to contribute in and out of the car as much as I can.

«That’s what I love doing and hopefully, collectively, we can make it a success.»

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, in the cockpit

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, in the cockpit

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

The move sparks opportunity for Hulkenberg that perhaps isn’t available at Haas, given the manufacturer status, but while the ceiling for success may be higher, he warned the same can be said conversely.

«Well, if you don’t perform the pressure is on there more, you’re more under the spotlight,» Hulkenberg explained. «It’s going to be a lot more PR work there, a lot more demanding on this side. But, it’s a big opportunity and the ceiling is higher.»

Hulkenberg will be 37 years old by the time he hits the track in a Sauber next season, yet can take inspiration from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who will both be in their 40s at the same time.

On whether they gave him proof he could continue at the highest level, Hulkenberg replied: «It doesn’t make me feel anything.

«I don’t feel old or kind of that I’m close to my due date, I don’t look at that and I don’t think about that. I take it step by step, season by season.

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«At the moment, I think I still have what it takes and as long as that’s the case, that’s good and I will carry on and, as long as I’m wanted here… that’s obviously always the first thing you need, you need someone to have you in the car.

«The other thing is if I feel I can’t keep up with the young kids, I’ll probably even cut it off myself. But I’m not there yet — but I don’t know when that will be.»



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Hulkenberg in «a bit of a shock» about Audi’s F1 management shake-up

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Nico Hulkenberg is in «a bit of a shock» after Audi’s decision to oust Andreas Seidl from its Formula 1 entry project and replace him with ex-Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.

Audi’s decision to axe former Porsche LMP1 and McLaren F1 squad chief Seidl, as well as former Sauber board chairman Oliver Hoffmann, sent a shockwave through F1 ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend on the eve of the 2024 season’s summer break.

It came nearly two years on from Audi’s acclaimed announcement of its 2026 F1 entry, with Seidl signed from McLaren at the end of the 2022 season to provide a long build-up to the marque’s F1 debut.

But with the results of the Sauber team Audi is taking over tanking and after an apparent recent power struggle between Seidl and Hoffmann, Audi acted decisively and installed Binotto at the top of the project, with the Italian’s work beginning in early August.

Hulkenberg is Audi’s first confirmed F1 driver signing and will join the team for its final Sauber year in 2025 to also benefit from experience with the team before it transitions to Audi’s works effort.

He was quizzed about the developments at the top of the Audi/Sauber project as F1 reconvened at Spa, where Hulkenberg revealed he had briefly spoken with Binotto but was yet to speak to Seidl.

«No, not concerned,» he replied when asked if he was worried about potential instability at his soon-to-be new team, where he also raced for one year, in 2013.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

«Now that was obviously a bit of a wave, a bit of a shock. But now it’s back to business. I still look forward to joining their project and make it a successful story with Audi.

«The fact that two people who were closely involved in signing me are not there anymore is of course maybe a bit sad.

«But I am more interested about the project, joining Formula 1 with Audi and making it a successful story.»

Hulkenberg said «of course» Seidl and Hoffmann «were influential» in his decision to sign for Audi/Sauber earlier this year, as «these were the two guys we did the deal with».

«That’s that,» he added. «Obviously kind of an unexpected change. I was informed about the group’s decision on the day of the announcement, by Gernot Dollner [Audi CEO] himself.

«That’s the group’s decision, that they want to change moving forward. I think big projects like this, you have obviously in the management people that are big pillars of such projects.

«But they never just rely on one or two persons. In F1 everyone is kind of changeable.

«In terms of Mattia, I know him obviously from the past from the paddock, but I’ve never worked with him. That will change in a few months.»

Hulkenberg also said the move «shows that the CEO of Audi and everyone is looking» at Sauber’s current plight and how that might impact the results of the rebranded squad in 2026.

He continued: «They are aware, they are involved. The fact that they take action means that they are very much involved and invested in it and hands-on. And that’s good and positive news.»



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Haas in fight to be fifth-fastest team in F1

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Nico Hulkenberg thinks Haas is now fighting with Aston Martin and RB to be the fifth-fastest team in Formula 1 after what he calls a “hell of a comeback”.

An upgrade package introduced at last weekend’s British Grand Prix helped deliver an impressive step forward in pace for the American-owned squad, with Hulkenberg finishing sixth for the second consecutive weekend.

While Haas remains seventh in the constructors’ championship on 27 points, four points behind RB and 41 adrift of Aston Martin, Hulkenberg thinks that the balance of power on track has changed.

In particular, he thinks Haas has the chance to stake claim to be at the head of the chasing pack behind Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Speaking after the British Grand Prix, he said: “It is obviously a nice, rewarding feeling to get eight points again, P6 two times in a row. It’s unexpected, but I think deserved. We worked for it. We stayed clean, no mistakes, good strategy. Very good.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“I think that the best of all, though, is the performance that we’ve had. The update really did something to the car, and I genuinely think we’re in the fight for fifth-fastest team now with sometimes Aston, sometimes Alpine, and sometimes some others maybe.

“I think we’re there. We have been pretty consistent this season and I think we can hang on to that.”

The progress of Haas has been impressive this season, especially considering that team principal Ayao Komatsu warned before the start of the campaign that the squad could be stuck at the back of the field.

But with the VF-24 proving to offer a solid baseline, and a run of upgrades having delivered the steps forward hoped for, it has turned out very different from the early pessimism.

On the team’s fortunes, Hulkenberg said: “Nobody expected it — even when we started it was better than the expectation. But we kept up with everyone, and did the same job, maybe even better.

“I think it’s also a little bit weekend-dependent and track-dependent, so we’ll have to wait and see but no, it’s definitely a hell of a comeback and a story.”

Watch: British GP Race Review — Hamilton Returns To The Top

While team-mate Kevin Magnussen’s British GP weekend was derailed by disappointment in qualifying that saw him start 17th and finish 12th, he still sees reason to be encouraged by the step from the upgrade package.

“I think it’s good,” he said. “To put an upgrade on the car and see it score points in the first race, of course, it’s encouraging.

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“We know on paper it’s not night and day, but it’s in the details, right? So it’s also a testimony to the car overall that we have.

“We’ve put a little bit more performance on here, but without it, Nico would still have scored points. So, very encouraging and looking forward to more races.”



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Hulkenberg wants Haas review into ‘unhealthy’ F1 Canada car issue

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The German failed to progress from Q1, qualifying only 19th in what was a far departure from his previous efforts this season.

A bold gamble on full wet tyres saw both Hulkenberg and team-mate Kevin Magnussen scythe through the field and into the top 10 in the opening eight laps of Sunday’s race, though both drivers ultimately fell back through the field as conditions improved.

But Hulkenberg said: «The missed opportunity was [Saturday] and generally all weekend.

«The problem we’ve had on my car — that somehow it’s not fully healthy, I think, on the aero side or somewhere.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

«I still feel after the race that I have a problem with it, that is not fully at 100% where we’re supposed to be. But you know, obviously, you do what you can with what you have.

«But obviously, also not having the Friday, not having time to react after that is… it’s just altogether a difficult weekend with the circumstances.»

Calling for a review of the issues to find a solution ahead of the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, Hulkenberg added: «The whole weekend, especially on my side of the garage, and from lap one, I didn’t feel right and happy with the car and we need to investigate what was going on because that really compromised our weekend.

«Everything that happened, and then quali, cost us a better result because I’m sure with a better quali that we normally have, if we start further ahead, we would have scored points. So it’s kind of a missed opportunity.»



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Komatsu «gave everything» to keep me at Haas in F1 2025

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At the end of last month, Hulkenberg inked a new deal with Sauber to join the Swiss-based outfit next year ahead of its takeover by Audi, becoming the German manufacturer’s first factory signing for 2026.

This means his term with Haas will come to a close at the end of the current season, leaving the squad to look for a replacement, who will likely not have the same experience as the veteran German.

Hulkenberg has completed 10 full seasons in F1 since he made his debut with Williams in 2010, and his points-scoring finishes in Saudi Arabia, Australia and China have helped propel Haas to seventh in the standings.

Speaking about his departure, the 36-year-old sang praises for Komatsu and revealed the lengths the engineer-turned-team boss went to to retain him for next year.

“He’s doing well. He was really thrown in at the deep end as the new team boss at the beginning of the year. Out of nowhere,” Hulkenberg said in reference to Komatsu’s surprise promotion following the team’s split with Guenther Steiner.

“In February, he had a driver’s contract in his hands for the first time in his life. That’s also special, and there are a few things you have to know and see first. 

“Up until the announcement, it was great working with him. Also in terms of coordination. I spoke to him openly about it a few weeks ago, that there was a good dynamic and that a decision would probably be made sooner rather than later. 

“He fought, he gave everything. 

“The decision wasn’t a no-brainer for me. I’ve already given it some thought. 

“Haas is the team that made my comeback possible. But at the end of the day, the better sporting prospect for me personally is simply with Audi.”

Although Hulkenberg is moving to a rival outfit next year, he still expects to receive new updates from Haas at the same time as team-mate Kevin Magnussen through to the end of the season.

Asked if Magnussen could now have priority on new parts, he said: “I don’t think so. I think it will continue to be fair and good. 

“The team and I both have a vested interest in finishing the season as well and successfully as possible. 

“We want to try and beat all the other midfield teams, and I don’t think that’s entirely unrealistic given the way things look today. We will continue to work as a team in the right direction.”

However, Hulkenberg understands that Haas wouldn’t want to keep him in the loop with the developments for next year after it begins to focus on developing the successor to the VF-24.

“Yes, definitely, at some point,” he said. “In two, three, four months, I think so.

“Next year, the cars won’t really change radically. So there won’t be any more super secrets to take away. I’m relaxed about that.”



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