Nico Hülkenberg’s state of mind before the start of the Grand Prix
Qualified 2nd behind Max Verstappen before being penalized 3 places for not respecting a red flag, Nico Hülkenberg will start from 5th place. In the post-qualifying press conference, he sets his goals with a touch of reality nonetheless.
Qualifying sessions in the rain always bring us surprises. In Montreal, it was Nico Hülkenberg who created one by taking the second position in the qualifiers. And despite this penalty that sends him to the 5th place, the objective remains the same: to do everything possible to stay in the points.
Hülkenberg realistic about the race
Since the beginning of the year, one of Haas’ major weaknesses is definitely its race pace. While it performs well on Saturdays, it is much more challenging on Sundays during the race, and the team struggles to score points.
Recently, our race pace has not been our strong point; in fact, it has always been more about qualifying than the race,” said the German driver in a press conference.
Challenges in progress but possibilities
By starting in the points, despite the penalty, the Haas driver is ready to fight and seize any opportunities that may arise. It will be important to remain focused throughout the 70 laps and perhaps also fight to retain positions. The German is prepared.
There are a lot of challenges to overcome for tomorrow and a lot of work to be done, but at least we’re starting from a good position. It’s for sure that there will be a lot of heat from behind, there are many faster cars that will overtake, but our goal is simply to maximize tomorrow’s race and potential, he said in a press conference.
When asked where he will fight in the race, he responds with a touch of humor. « I hope somewhere between 1st and 10th position. »
