The importance of experience - Haas 2023 season review so far

Joe Ellis
Thursday 20 April 2023 14:57

Eyebrows were raised when Haas appointed Nico Hulkenberg as their second driver in 2023, but the bold choice is paying off.

The American team are currently seventh in the 2023 constructors' standings after Hulkenberg scored their best finish of the year in Australia.

In truth, there has been a lot of speed in the Haas machine this year and the German has used it to reach Q3 on more than one occasion already.

Guenther Steiner will be far more content with this season than he was with the inexperience of Mick Schumacher, and the results are now coming too.

Return of the Hulk

Hulkenberg has been F1's first call for a replacement since he left the sport in 2019, but his return to the circus has rejuvenated him.

He has genuinely been challenging the top six or seven at times in qualifying and looked like the real deal in Australia, coming home seventh to score six of Haas' seven points so far this year.

Having a reliable hand behind the wheel has just settled everything down for Haas after the uncertainty they had with Schumacher over the past two years, which immediately makes this signing an astute one.

Kevin the bold

Kevin Magnussen has always been prepared to rub people up the wrong way with his style on track, but he has managed to refine it and now become a very accomplished racer.

He maintains his aggression and preparedness to go for a bold move, but he can now do so without causing contact and he used that skill to pass Yuki Tsunoda late on in Saudi Arabia for his solitary point so far.

He will be encouraged by the speed his team-mate has shown, even if he hasn't unlocked it fully himself just yet, because the Dane can always extract the most out of a car.

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