Hulkenberg on Haas adventure: 'Didn't turn out to be what I hoped'

For Nico Hulkenberg, the end of his first season with Haas F1 is approaching. The 36-year-old German was hoping to add a nice, probably final chapter to his career after a (partly forced) break in Formula 1 with the American team. Until now, it has been a difficult comeback, with points a rarity.

Hulkenberg therefore made no bones about it: "Obviously on track, it hasn’t delivered what we’d hoped for. Being able to capitalize on Saturday’s pace and show off what the car and I can do has been fun, but points are given on Sunday so the trend of falling back during the race hasn’t been fun."

"Nonetheless, I’ve really enjoyed working with this team and building those relationships with the crew in the garage, and my engineering team and getting to meet the team working hard back at the factories. This update is an indication of what this team strives for and I’m looking forward to the upcoming races and the next season with them," Hulkenberg said.

Update gives Haas hope

Much has been said and written about Haas' update. There are whispers that the Americans have copied Red Bull Racing's floor. "The update is highly anticipated, it’s been a long time coming and it’s aimed to improve our performance, characteristics, and the weaknesses of the car we’ve found which has made us struggle especially on Sunday. It’s to help tire wear, consistency, and better performance."

"Kevin [Magnussen] and I since the beginning of the season, or after every session, have feedback on our findings and feelings to the engineers and designers. Hopefully, there’s a big jump in performance, but also, we need direction for next year – where we’re going to go with this car, which philosophy we’ll follow and which direction to take," Hulkenberg concluded.