Nico Hülkenberg’s contract extension at the Haas Formula 1 racing team is just a formality. In an exclusive interview with sport.de, team boss Günther Steiner reveals that the new working paper should be finalized before the break.
Good news for the only remaining Formula 1 driver from Germany. Nico Hulkenberg will soon receive a contract extension with his Haas team.
In an exclusive interview with sport.de gave team manager Steiner information about the further schedule. The South Tyrolean said he would “certainly work on the new contract” in the coming weeks. “Mr. Haas (Gene Haas is the owner and founder of the team, d. Red) is coming to Hungary and Spa. We’ve already talked about it. But it’s nicer when you can do it in person than by phone or videophone. It won’t take us long “Steiner announced, looking at the details of the contract.
Means: Around the races in Hungary (July 21 to 27) and Belgium (July 28 to 30) and thus before the short F1 summer break, the new deal with Hülkenberg should be fixed and approved by the Haas boss. “He’s going there. Hopefully we can announce it as soon as possible. We’re happy with him.” (Hulkenberg, d. Red)
Nico Hulkenberg replaced Mick Schumacher at Haas
Hülkenberg has been driving for the American racing team since this year. He replaced Mick Schumacher there, who was not given a new contract after two unsuccessful years with the team. Both the driver and the racing team are satisfied after the first nine races of the season, even if the VF-23 is inferior, especially on the race Sundays.
Steiner is positively surprised by the performance of his pilot. “I didn’t expect him to get in shape straight away. He wasn’t a regular driver for three years,” said the 58-year-old. “He came in and it worked straight away. We knew he was good, we all knew that, but we didn’t know that he’d be on form straight away.”
Before his restart at Haas, Hülkenberg had stepped in several times as a substitute driver at Aston Martin, sometimes at extremely short notice. Because of his “fireman” work and his vast experience, he recommended himself for the cockpit at Haas and received a one-year contract.
Good atmosphere in the team
Steiner emphasizes that Hülkenberg has a good standing in the Haas cosmos. “He has a good relationship with me and the whole team.” He is involved in all important technical issues and insists on the input of the veteran. “As a driver, he can explain it best. When it comes to five corners, something is always lost.” Overall, it’s “nice to see his performance and how he’s fighting.”
The 35-year-old is currently 14th in the drivers’ standings with nine points (a seventh place at the Australian GP and sixth place in the Austrian sprint) and seven points ahead of team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Haas ranks eighth among the design engineers. The goal for the team boss is to make a step forward in the hard-fought midfield.
“Obviously, I would prefer 7th place,” said Steiner. “We have to do a good job, Williams did a good job on fast tracks. We have to fight for seventh place, I don’t know if it’s possible yet.”