Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg Believes They’re Now in the Mix for Fifth-Fastest Team in Formula 1
After a stellar performance at the British Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg thinks they’ve made a significant leap forward, positioning themselves to battle with Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing for the fifth-fastest team spot in the Formula 1 standings.
The American-owned outfit’s upgrade package introduced at Silverstone helped Hulkenberg secure a sixth-place finish, marking his second consecutive top-six result. This performance has boosted the team’s confidence, and Hulkenberg believes they can now challenge the likes of Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing.
“We worked for it. We stayed clean, no mistakes, good strategy. Very good,” Hulkenberg said, reflecting on the team’s British Grand Prix outing. “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.”
Haas F1 Team’s progress this season has been nothing short of remarkable, given team principal Ayao Komatsu’s initial warnings that they might struggle to escape the back of the pack. However, with the VF-24 proving to be a solid baseline and a series of upgrades delivering the desired performance gains, the team has defied early expectations.
“I mean, nobody expected it – even when we started it was better than the expectation,” Hulkenberg said. “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.”
Teammate Kevin Magnussen, who endured a disappointing British Grand Prix weekend, still sees reason to be encouraged by the upgrade package’s impact.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “I mean, to put an upgrade on the car and see it score points in the first race, of course, it’s encouraging. 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.”
With their Formula 1 calendar packed with upcoming races, Haas F1 Team will be looking to build on this momentum and stake their claim as a top-five contender. As the Formula 1 news and Formula 1 standings continue to evolve, the American outfit is poised to make a significant impact in the second half of the season.
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