Haas F1 Driver Nico Hulkenberg Reflects on Disappointing Canadian Grand Prix Outing

In a candid assessment of his performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, Haas Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg revealed that his decision to opt for a higher downforce set-up left him feeling like a “sitting duck” on the straights. The German driver, along with teammate Kevin Magnussen, capitalized on a bold strategy to start on wet tyres, allowing them to pass intermediate-shod runners with ease and briefly run in eighth and fourth positions, respectively.

However, as the track began to dry, their progress was undone, and a subsequent pit stop onto intermediate tyres cancelled out their earlier gains. Ultimately, Hulkenberg missed out on scoring his first point in three races, finishing 11th, while Magnussen was similarly disappointed, coming home in 12th.

Reflecting on the Race

Reflecting on the race, Hulkenberg acknowledged that the first 10 laps had gone well, but the drying track conditions ultimately worked against him. “We knew it was a risk, and it didn’t pay off,” he conceded. Although he gained places with a later switch onto slick tyres, his high downforce set-up left him vulnerable to rivals on the back straight.

Hulkenberg lamented that the team had gotten “a little bit unlucky” with one of the Safety Cars, which he felt had cost them dearly. Despite this, he was pleased to have waited later to switch to slicks, as the early sector was proving tricky to navigate. However, his high downforce set-up meant he was at a disadvantage on the straights, making him a “sitting duck” without DRS.

Narrow Escape from Contact with Tsunoda

In the closing laps, Hulkenberg was chasing down a points finish when Yuki Tsunoda spun on the wet grass at Turn 8, leaving his car stranded on the track. The Sauber-bound driver was mere millimetres from making contact with Tsunoda and expressed surprise at avoiding an incident.

“With Tsunoda’s spin, I just tried to react and try to stop it and somehow avoid him,” Hulkenberg said. “It must have been like a few millimetres – it felt very, very close. So, I half-closed my eyes already, I was racing for the impact, but yeah, managed luckily somehow to escape it.”

Formula 1 today saw Haas’ hopes of scoring points in Montreal slip away, leaving the team to regroup and focus on the next round. As for Hulkenberg, he will be looking to bounce back and climb up the Formula 1 standings in the coming races.

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