Nico Hulkenberg admits Haas need 'MAGIC' to catch F1 rivals

Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, Haas, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Hulkenberg admits Haas need 'MAGIC' to catch F1 rivals

The F1 team have struggled in 2023, despite some impressive moments from Hulkenberg

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 12 September 2023 16:57

Nico Hulkenberg has admitted that Haas will need 'something really magic' if they are to catch Williams and improve on their eighth place in the constructors' championship in 2023.

The team have struggled this season with an uncompetitive package that has meant they have only scored 11 points in the first 14 races of the season.

Whilst the teams around them like Williams and McLaren have taken huge steps forward, Haas seem to have regressed based on their 2022 performance.

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Hulkenberg has managed to claim nine of the team's 11 points and is currently sat in 14th in the drivers' championship, whilst his team-mate Kevin Magnussen is down in 18th.

They are currently 10 points behind seventh-placed Williams in the constructors' championship, and it looks now like they will be more focusing on consolidating eighth place, rather than chasing any competitors.

"To be honest, Williams, they look like they're gone," Hulkenberg conceded after the Italian Grand Prix.

"They and McLaren obviously made huge progress this year. And I don't see how we can turn this around unless we find something really magic.

"On the low-downforce package, once the tyre has gone through the fresh kind of tyre life, it's just one direction and that's backwards.

"We're just eating the tyre, the balance is poor, we're sliding a lot more than other cars. Can't keep the pace up, using more tyre. So, it was one of the toughest and worst races of the season.

"Definitely high track temperatures and some sun doesn't help our case"

Haas' tyre woes

The 2023 Haas car has been particularly bad at tyre management

As Hulkenberg mentioned, one of the main problems with Haas' 2023 car has been how to convert reasonable qualifying performances into points on race day, with the car particularly bad at tyre management.

The car has been eating up its tyres much more quickly than their competitors, particularly when conditions have been hot and sticky.

Their decent performance at Zandvoort may have been down to the chaotic conditions in which overheating tyres weren't likely to be a problem.

Nonetheless, Hulkenberg is confident that this may be a sign of better things to come as we head into the last eight races of the season.

"The pace there [at Dutch GP] looked much more promising and looking back the characteristic and the feel of the car was much better than this weekend," Hulkenberg said.

"[For the next races I am] cautiously optimistic, I think we should be in a better place. At least in a better place in the midfield, closer to being in a race."