F1 star admits 'UNORTHODOX' solution needed for competitiveness issue

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F1 star admits 'UNORTHODOX' solution needed for competitiveness issue

The German has a plan to keep scoring points

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 20 March 2024 21:00

Nico Hulkenberg has admitted that he and his Haas team are having to get creative just to score points in Formula 1.

The top of the championship is already looking like a closed shop, with Max Verstappen the clear number one and Sergio Perez the de facto second placed driver thanks to the Red Bull machinery.

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As well as this, the gap between the top five teams and the bottom five seems to be larger than ever, with Aston Martin currently in fifth with 13 points, and just one point being accumulated by the bottom five altogether.

That point came from Hulkenberg for Haas, following some remarkable tactics deployed by his team-mate Kevin Magnussen to allow him to build up enough of a gap in 10th to be able to pit and still be in with a chance of a point.

Hulkenberg's team-mate Kevin Magnussen helped him score a point

Haas' unusual tactics

Haas have a strong car when it comes to qualifying but, much like in 2023, their drivers seem to fall back down the order when it comes to the race.

“I think in races like this [in Saudi] when, currently we have the top five teams, if they stay in the race, that's the top 10 taken,” Hulkenberg said in quotes reported by Motorsport.com.

“So, I always feel you have to do something unorthodox and something not so [logical] or what seems like common sense.

“You have to obviously push your luck a little bit and do something different, offset yourself and, like in the past, that has often paid off.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen F1 Sergio Perez Aston Martin Haas