Author: Barkha Roy
Haas driver Nico Hulkenburg is elated after recording the team’s best performance of 2023, finishing P7 Down Under. He also mentioned that he feels refreshed after returning to F1 as a result of an impressive race in Australia.
The German qualified for the Haas race once again in the top 10, but this time he managed to maintain his speed throughout. Haas often struggles to maintain race pace, and even Nico Hulkenberg used this to his advantage.
Hulkenberg qualified for the race and progressed to Q3, but finished at the back of the pack on Sunday at Albert Park. He was in ninth place when Kevin Magnussen’s accident caused the race to be stopped a few laps from the end.
On the restart, Hulkenberg managed to shake off the confusion around him, which included a collision between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, and finished 4th.
Hulkenberg was pushed back in the order after the race was red-flagged for the third time, and his final position of seventh was determined by Sainz’s penalty, rather than the order of the previous start, which included the withdrawn cars.
The German admitted after the race that he felt revitalized on his return and hopes to keep up the pace this season. Reflecting on the circuit, he told F1TV “It was wild and a bit confusing at times. We will have to analyze everything that happened, because many things happened. I made a good start in third with the soft tires and got to fourth place, so it’s a shame that there were some incidents and the race was red flagged.“
He added: “There are a lot of positive learnings again and I feel that a lot of good things are happening. I’m refreshed, with a very positive mindset and I really enjoy working with the team and trying out the car, and this good momentum is what we want to take into the next races.“
Since returning to the sport, Hulkenberg scored his first points at Albert Park. In the next few races, the driver will try to capitalize on this moment.