Louis Budweg
Formula 1 Department
Formula 1 editor with a certain penchant for fitness, currywurst and the daily Mario Kart races in the office. MORE
Hülkenberg: Typical Friday situation in Monaco despite Haas update
Kevin Magnussen was the faster of the two Haas drivers, coming in 13th in the second free practice session. Nico Hülkenberg followed in 15th place. Haas seems further away from the points than it was in Imola. There, the team made a major update to the car. This weekend, two updates followed in terms of reliability and three track-specific adjustments.
These include an XXL rear wing and larger gills at the rear for more cooling. These adjustments are not unusual in Monaco. The track is unique on the entire calendar. All teams try to get as much downforce as possible by using larger wings. “The team said they were happy with the ratio of downforce to air resistance in the wind tunnel. But if we look at the times, it’s still not good enough,” said Nico Hülkenberg.
Accordingly, the Haas package does not seem particularly competitive yet. “It’s not perfect, but it’s not terrible either. It’s just a typical Friday situation,” explains Hülkenberg. “We’ll try to get a few balance problems under control and find a bit more grip. Kevin and I were driving on different setups today.”
This was also evident in the times. Hülkenberg generally seemed faster in sector three, while Magnussen was faster in sector one. “Since this morning, we’ve been swapping back and forth.”
Nico Hülkenberg: We have to find performance, otherwise qualifying will be short
But no matter which setup Hülkenberg drove, the conclusion remains the same. “At the moment we still have some work to do and we need to find performance. Otherwise tomorrow will be a relatively short qualifying session,” Hülkenberg makes clear.
In Imola, Hülkenberg showed a spectacular performance in qualifying up to Q3 and temporarily moved into first place in Q1. Monaco, however, is a different story. “It’s fun, but it’s also difficult here. Monaco is special. It’s a big challenge for the cars and the drivers every year. I’m looking forward to the challenge in qualifying tomorrow.”
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