Hulkenberg’s hiring by Haas to replace the crash-prone Mick Schumacher in late 2022 reignited an F1 career that had appeared over when he was dropped by Renault (now Alpine) in favour of Esteban Ocon for 2020.
He has since shone in qualifying for Haas – making six 2023 Q3 appearances and qualifying third in Canada before being penalised for a red-flag infringement in that session – and getting the edge on team-mate Kevin Magnussen, who has just one Q3 result.
But qualifying has been the main sphere where Haas has been able to score good results so far this term, as a problem with tyre wear that is exacerbated by losing downforce when running in the pack impacts race stints.
As a result, Hulkenberg has just nine points to Magnussen’s two, with Haas eighth in the constructors’ championship.
When asked by Autosport to describe how much satisfaction he draws from such a results imbalance, Hulkenberg said: “We keep fighting, we keep working.
“When we signed and I started here, I knew it was not just going to be sunny days. There’s also going to be tough days and work ahead of us.
“Of course, in that moment on Sundays, or during the race and right after, it is a bit frustrating, and it is a bit disappointing.
Source: Autosport