The Austrian GP was not a positive one for the Haas team. On one side was Nico Hülkenberg, who only ran the first few laps of the Red Bull Ring, and on the other it’s was Kevin Magnussen, who ended his race in 18th position, after yet another fight with the Dutch driver, Nyck De Vries.
Nico Hülkenberg, who saw his Sunday fall away quickly because of unreliability, spoke of the team’s difficulty in keeping pace with the rest of the grid over a full race distance. The need to push the car to its limits to defend position often leads to high tyre degradation and they fall through the pack.
“We are surrounded by quicker cars, that are pushing on from behind. They are forcing us to go at a pace we’re not necessarily able to keep up. It’s just a vicious circle. We don’t know the full picture.
“Surely after my first stop, the issue occurred, I lost power and I couldn’t continue,” added the German on his retirement 13 laps in.
Race data that could have provided a basis for moving forward and improving the team’s weaknesses were swept away by the driver’s DNF.
“It makes it more difficult going forward. We have less information now. But it is what it is. We have to make the most with what we have.”
Magnussen’s strategy instead involved a test as Haas had stated before the weekend, with a set-up change that saw him start from the pitlane. The result of the plan is not what they hoped for as the speed was still bad.
“It was more a bit of an experiment. We were P19 anyway, and we knew the pace didn’t look good, so why not just try something that actually will give us a bit of knowledge and answer some of the questions we have?”
“It’s probably the worst this season so far. I’ve finished last. I know I started in the pitlane but still, making no progress from last is not what this car is capable of. When you see the one-lap pace it has, it should be possible to have a better race than that.”
The team will have to continue to work on several fronts in order to bring upgrades that will constantly improve the performance on a Sunday afternoon, as the Danish driver explained.
“It’s very complex. It’s not one thing, it’s a combination of things and it’s a very complex thing to solve. But I have all faith in the team, and I do believe that we can turn it around and improve the situation.”
Photo Credit: Haas F1 Team
