You might call it a surprise, but Nico Hulkenberg’s sixth place in Great Britain wasn’t entirely unexpected. Of course, the mistakes of Red Bull and Ferrari with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc undoubtedly helped to achieve a result that was probably better than the rosiest predictions, but in reality, the German’s sixth place is the result of excellent work in recent months, especially on what were some of the car’s critical elements.
The package of updates introduced at Silverstone helped to further improve some key areas, particularly performance in the high-speed sections, where it was actually faster and more effective than the Ferrari. With the package that debuted between China and the United States, the engineers had already managed to make a qualitative leap in that area, but the innovations that debuted in Great Britain have further improved performance.
Nico Hulkenberg was certainly the one to benefit from this, who, curiously, was about to be eliminated in Q1. A not very effective strategy by Haas had caused him to exit very late, causing him to then return to the pits prematurely while the track was improving: the German was saved by a whisker, while his teammate Kevin Magnussen was unable to pass the cut, not so much for the performance of the car, but rather for the tactics chosen.
Telemetry comparison between Hulkenberg and Sainz with the excellent performances in the fast VF-24
Photo by: Gianluca D’Alessandro
After getting back on track, Hulkenberg managed to get sixth place on the grid, then lost it at the start due to a less than stellar start, an aspect that the American team undoubtedly needs to work on, given that it is not the first time this season. The slow start, as well as a mistake in turn 3, caused the German to slip behind Leclerc and Lance Stroll, but the German’s good pace allowed him to stay glued to the Ferrari driver. On the contrary, the feeling was that Hulkenberg had something more, but being stuck in traffic did not allow him to initially demonstrate his true pace.
Leclerc’s decision to pit for intermediates undoubtedly helped the Haas driver, but when he was able to lap in free air, a difference in pace was immediately noticeable. A not particularly quick stop allowed the two Astons, indicated before the race as the real rivals for the top ten, to get closer, but not enough to attempt an attack. Lap after lap, Stroll lost a few tenths until he reached five seconds: a fundamental difference that would later prove to be crucial towards the end.
Not having a new medium available, the choice fell on the soft, also used, unlike the two Astons, who still had a set of yellow-banded tyres to play with. Like other drivers, the German also suffered the degradation of the softer compound, but that five-second advantage built previously during the stint on the intermediate allowed him to manage the return of Stroll and Alonso, taking an excellent sixth place.
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Although Haas remains seventh in the constructors’ championship with 27 points, four points behind Racing Bulls and 41 behind Aston Martin, Hulkenberg believes the balance of power on the track has changed in recent GPs. “It’s obviously a good feeling to get eight points again and to finish sixth twice in a row. It’s unexpected, but I think deserved. We worked for this. We had a clean race, no mistakes, with a good strategy. It went very well.”
“I think the best thing of all, though, is the performance we’ve shown. The upgrade has really brought something to the car, and I really think we’re now in the fight for fifth place with the quicker teams, like Aston, Alpine and others. I think we’re there. We’ve been pretty consistent this season. And I think we can hold on to that.”
A couple of different events await Haas, in particular the Hungarian one, full of medium-low speed corners. If in the slower corners the VF-24 has proven to be a good car, the limitations of the package have shifted more towards the medium-speed corners, so, after a couple of GPs full of high-speed sections, the Hungaroring will represent another test.
The updated Haas VF-24
Picture of: George Piola
“We kept pace with everyone and did the same job in terms of development, maybe even better. I think the fight will also depend a little on the weekend and the track. So, we will have to wait and see, but definitely a good comeback and a story!”
On Hungary, the Team Principal is a little less confident because, although it is true that a new high-downforce wing debuted in Monaco, on that type of circuit Haas still has to improve: “I think that in Budapest, on a high-downforce circuit, we don’t have enough. Even in Monaco we were the fastest on the straights. So in Hungary we will go with the same level of downforce as in Monaco, I expect it to be more difficult,” said Komatsu, before adding that the level of the team allows him to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, so fifth place should not be a distant mirage.
“We scored points in five GPs, while in seven races we didn’t manage to do so. But five of those races where we didn’t manage to do so, we were really close, so we are still there and that is an important issue, because we are close on different tracks. And now we are also faster. We can score points and take advantage of the opportunities that arise.”
#Haas #top #Fighting #5th #team
