The next Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place on Sunday (3:00 p.m.) in Nico Hülkenberg’s adopted home of Monaco. The Haas driver will come to the traditional street circuit with fresh updates. The anticipation can already be felt.
“It feels at home. The streets are well known to me, not only from the race but also from my private life,” said Nico Hulkenberg one day before the first training sessions in Monaco on “Sky”. With a smile, the man from Emmerich added: “We always complain about traffic in qualifying, but being able to blow through here without traffic is always a pleasure, something special.”
Although the race through the principality was “very challenging and difficult”, Monaco was “still one of the highlights of the year and one of my favourites”. His favorite place: “The next three curves above turn three are technically demanding. The pulse stops there for a moment, that’s funny. You know: the tough laws apply here.”
Unlike other “quasi street circuits” on the Formula 1 calendar, “the smallest mistake is punished in Monaco,” explained the Haas driver: “This intensity only exists here. As a driver, you notice that when you get up in the morning and know, ‘Hey, it’s Monaco’. That’s a different number.”
Hulkenberg optimistic before Monaco race
The 35-year-old, who has felt at home in Monaco for years, definitely sees his chances for the race. Haas brings a “few updates to the front of the car” that affect aerodynamics.
In addition: “If I analyze the last few years at Haas, they were actually competitive. So there’s no reason for me not to think why that shouldn’t be the case. We know that the driver can make the difference here. You need good ones Confidence in the car and I hope I can find that.”
However: In the last two years, Haas has always had no chance in Monaco. In 2021, the then drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher finished 17th and 18th. A year later, Schumacher and Hülkenberg’s current teammate Kevin Magnussen retired early. After all, both had made it into Q2 in qualifying.