Nico Hülkenberg delivered another strong performance for the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team at the Singapore Grand Prix, continuing a positive run of form that has seen the team collect points for the third consecutive race.
Starting from an impressive P6 on the grid, Hülkenberg battled hard throughout the race to finish in ninth place, adding two valuable points to the team’s 2024 tally.
Reflecting on the race, Hülkenberg acknowledged the difficulties of overtaking in Singapore, especially in the closing stages.
“It’s tough to overtake obviously with these cars when you get close now, but the braking zones are so small — we brake so late, so it’s very difficult to make a move here,” he explained.
He also discussed the pressure of defending his position, particularly in the second stint, “It was a difficult second stint under a lot of pressure. Fernando [Alonso] was dropping back, and then I started to feel his dirty air, which made life even harder for me.”
Hülkenberg also pointed to the team’s strategy as a key factor in the race’s outcome, noting that Alonso pitting earlier had an impact.
Haas allowed Aston Martin to have a 4-lap undercut, and it proved costly as he could not get that position back on hards.
“Fernando obviously pitted a bit earlier, so we need to review the strategy. It was a shame to get undercut there. A couple of things to look at, but it wasn’t easy, it was difficult,” he commented.
As the race progressed, tyre management became a critical factor. Hülkenberg elaborated on the challenge of balancing pace with tire degradation: “Rear deg started to kick in, and it was a fine window. You can’t really push, you have to drive in a conservative way but still push and stay clean. It was tough, but I’m happy we got it home.”
While Hülkenberg briefly caught up with Alonso in the final laps, he admitted that maintaining the pace was difficult, and he slipped away at the end.
“I lost pace because my rears were on the way out, and I didn’t have the speed to keep up,” he revealed.
Looking ahead, Hülkenberg remains optimistic about the team’s potential and the possibility to take P6 from RB in the Constructors’ Championship, especially with a triple-header coming up.
Three points cover the teams after Haas scored three across Baku and Singapore.
“I think everyone in the team firmly believes that we can challenge and fight them. It’s good we scored a point last weekend, should have scored more and now [two] again. We have six races to go, and it’s all to play for,” he stated.
“Obviously they’re not going to hand it to us, they’ll try to fight back. It’s just a race until the end, but I think we have good momentum.”
