Will Haas make it into Q3 in Monaco too? The team has already made it into the top 10 three times in five races, and Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen reckon they have a chance of doing so for tomorrow’s qualifying in Monte Carlo: “It’s possible,” says Hülkenberg, but he also knows: “Everything has to run perfectly.”
That wasn’t the case in training on Friday. Magnussen finished 14th, about a second behind, with his team-mate one place behind him. “If you look at the times, things don’t look so good,” admits Hülkenberg, “but I don’t think either of us has reached the optimal potential with our runs.”
Magnussen says he hit traffic on his first fast lap – after that his chances of a top time were gone. “You only have one lap on the soft tire,” says the Dane. “You can also do it in the second or third round, but the first round is so much better.”
In addition, he was not particularly happy with the setup of his Haas VF-23 in the second practice session. In the first practice session, where he finished twelfth, he felt much more comfortable in the car. “The first practice session went quite well. We made a few changes that we may have to revise for tomorrow,” he says.
Then it could also work out in Q3: “It’s very tight, and if you find a bit, then you’re in,” says Magnussen.
Small error in the harbor chicane
Hülkenberg, on the other hand, was last in the first session, although he says he found a good rhythm and was relatively happy with the car. But then he made a mistake in the port chicane: Hülkenberg got stuck on the guardrail with his left rear wheel.
The German drove into the pits but gave the all-clear for the remainder of the weekend: “The car wasn’t damaged, just the rim. But then you lose it [Reifen]sentence, and that wasn’t ideal.” The accident shouldn’t have any further impact on the weekend.
That became clear in the second practice session, where Hulkenberg was able to complete 33 laps again. Haas has also collected enough data to be able to evaluate its new parts.
New parts: compare “eggs with lobster”.
The racing team has a new front wing and a new front suspension in its luggage this weekend. Unlike usual, both drivers immediately drove with the new parts. Normally you compare the old and new specification in training, but due to the lack of learning effect in Monaco, you will catch up in Barcelona.
Accordingly, it is difficult for both pilots to evaluate the new parts. “It’s difficult to feel the difference and to separate that exactly on this track,” says Magnussen, describing the update as only minor.
“We expect a small step in the downforce and the behavior of the car. It’s just about widening the window and making it more consistent.”
Hülkenberg also says that Haas needs “a few more weekends and normal routes” and provides a somewhat unusual illustration when comparing the last race in Miami: “You don’t compare eggs with eggs, but eggs with lobsters.”