Nico Hulkenberg’s journey with Haas lasted only two years, but those seasons were more significant than they might seem at first glance, both for the German and for the team. Nico Hulkenberg had come from three years of absence after his forced departure at the end of 2019 from Renault, which at the time preferred to start a new cycle with Esteban Ocon.
However, during those three years away, the German maintained a connection with the world of Formula 1, becoming the “go-to” reserve driver during the pandemic period, sometimes surprising with his effectiveness on track, as in the 2020 Silverstone weekend with Racing Point.
Those experiences, where he performed well, led Aston Martin to hire him as a simulator driver, at least before Haas, in search of a solid and experienced driver, decided to sign Nico Hulkenberg. A choice that turned out to be a successful one, as demonstrated by the German’s performance over these two years, even though doubts remained, especially from external observers. Nico Hulkenberg still had much to give to F1 and represented an excellent choice for a team in search of stability.
“It has been two intense and good years from my point of view, which I really enjoyed. Of course, at first there was some uncertainty after a three-year break, and we wondered ‘where am I, how will it go?’ But we quickly got the answers. And I believe the performances showed up immediately. And I think I really enjoyed working with the team and having fun getting back behind the wheel, it brought me joy,” said Nico Hulkenberg in an interview with Motorsport.com.
From the very beginning, the German demonstrated that he had not lost the speed that had defined him in the past, so much so that in the first qualifying of 2023, he immediately took the Haas into Q3, securing his first points two races later in Australia. Due to some technical limitations in the VF-23’s tire management, the results often didn’t match expectations in the race, but this would change in 2024 when Haas found a new direction.
During the winter break, some important figures left, most notably Team Principal Gunther Steiner, due to some disagreements with the team owner. This allowed for a revision of several aspects of the team, reorganizing the internal structure under the leadership of Ayao Komatsu.
“There are many different factors why 2024 was better. Many positive decisions that have been made in these two years, changes, developments, led us to grow so well,” said the German driver, mentioning that the change in approach with Komatsu was one of the keys, not necessarily immediately, because the car had already been designed before he took charge, but more in how the team’s work was carried forward by changing its approach and mentality.
It’s clear that a fast car always helps align various aspects, but there were many details where progress was made: “The change of team principal was obviously a change of scenario, a new input from an engineer, a team member who was already part of it and who has what I call a 360-degree understanding,” added Nico Hulkenberg.
“I believe some of the positive changes had already been made before, at the end of 2023, due to the poor performance at that time. It started then, and then, of course, with Ayao [Komatsu] in the winter of 2024, other things were changed. It’s a sum of various things,” added Nico Hulkenberg, with the VF-24 proving effective from the first races. From the tests, a different target was decided, focusing more on improving tire management, with several long runs that provided the expected feedback.
Throughout the season, Nico Hulkenberg proved to be one of the most solid and consistent drivers in the midfield, thanks also to excellent work behind the scenes at Haas, which, after difficult years, was able to give clear direction for development and progress during the championship. This allowed Haas to turn Nico Hulkenberg’s strong qualifying performances into solid results, with the German often fighting for points, except in rare instances. Austria, where he kept Sergio Perez behind him, and Silverstone stand out with two 6th-place finishes, but there were other high-level performances as well.
While in the past, the team often struggled with making progress with the car, this year the path was clear and consistent, always adding performance and effectively addressing areas with greater needs.
Only the double podium from Alpine in Brazil and a sudden growth from the French team prevented Haas from securing 6th place in the constructors’ standings, a position that, looking at the overall season, they deserved based on their on-track performance. However, F1 is also about seizing opportunities, and one must be able to take advantage of them.
This doesn’t take away from the fact that Nico Hulkenberg’s journey with the American team turned out to be extremely positive, as the German himself recounted, though he also admitted that he didn’t expect two such positive years when he signed for Haas at the end of 2022. The team had come off a poor 2020, due to Ferrari PU issues, and the 2021 season was sacrificed to focus on the regulatory change.
Although 2022 started well with a competitive car, the lack of updates, with only one major package arriving mid-season, often forced Haas to deal with slow growth compared to rivals who had more resources.
“Overall, these two years have been more than positive. It wasn’t something I expected when I signed with them. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. Even in 2022, they had a rather difficult year. 2021 and 2022, from a sporting point of view, didn’t look very rosy. So, from this perspective… plus my three-year break,” Hulkenberg said.
“I didn’t have high expectations, nor did I think we would get out of this or that situation, but I just thought: ‘Let’s start working, driving, growing together, and fight to overcome this situation.’ An adventure that has now come to an end: Hulkenberg will move to Sauber in 2025, with the team becoming Audi at the start of the new regulatory cycle. Ayao Komatsu then mentioned that he had tried to keep the German in the team, but working with a factory team was a temptation that Hulkenberg wanted to seize.”
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