Haas has but to get on high of its 2023 automotive’s extreme tyre woes, which have left the American-owned group unable to duplicate its often-reasonable qualifying tempo over an entire race stint.
The Ferrari buyer squad significantly struggles on sizzling and twisty circuits the place Pirelli’s tyres are examined probably the most, with its disastrous performance in the Italian Grand Prix another new low.
Hulkenberg and team-mate Kevin Magnussen have been the one drivers to be lapped as they completed a distant seventeenth and 18th, with Hulkenberg lamenting “everybody was simply driving via us, and we weren’t within the race”.
Whereas Haas has been trialling options to mitigate its tyre overheating points, it has but to uncover a repair and paid the value within the constructors’ championship.
It shared seventh place with Williams earlier than the beginning of the second a part of the season, however since then Alex Albon almost doubled the factors tally for its resurgent rivals, whereas Haas hasn’t scored factors since Austria.
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Haas facies a 10-point hole to Williams whereas Alfa Romeo has closed to inside a degree, with Hulkenberg admitting Haas will not be capable to sustain with the previous.
“To be trustworthy, Williams, they seem like they’re gone,” he conceded.
“They and McLaren clearly made enormous progress this 12 months. And I do not see how we are able to flip this round until we discover one thing actually magic.
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Workforce, together with his engineer on the grid
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“On the low-downforce bundle, as soon as the tyre has gone via the recent type of tyre life, it is only one path and that is backwards.
“We’re simply consuming the tyre, the stability is poor, we’re sliding much more than different vehicles. Cannot maintain the tempo up, utilizing extra tyre. So, it was one of many hardest and worst races of the season.”
Whereas Magnussen has generally been struggling with the VF-23’s handling traits, Hulkenberg’s twelfth place in Zandvoort confirmed some indicators of enchancment on its excessive downforce bundle.
However whereas the solar will not be a consider Singapore’s evening race, the excessive temperatures may nonetheless chew Haas.
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“Undoubtedly excessive observe temperatures and solar some would not assist our case” he added, hoping Zandvoort’s stronger tempo will likely be extra consultant of the races to come back.
“The tempo there appeared way more promising and looking out again the attribute and the texture of the automotive was significantly better than this weekend.
“[For the next races I am] cautiously optimistic, I feel we needs to be in a greater place. At the very least in a greater place within the midfield, nearer to being in a race.”