Nico Hulkenberg agrees F1 2024 was one of the consistent seasons he has had, as he praises the work done by Haas and Ayao Komatsu.
Even though Haas’ Hulkenberg lost a Top 10 finish to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in the final race, the German still had an all-round solid year, qualifying excellently and scoring well too. He kept the F1 team in contention for sixth for most part, with the consistent drive and results.
He himself agreed that it was one of his most consistent seasons in F1. “Definitely one of the most consistent, I feel I probably had similarly good seasons, 2017, 2018, even going back, 2016,” said Hulkenberg to media. “I’ve had a lot of those seasons, I think.
“But probably it’s the one that I’ve enjoyed the most, the highs as well as the lows. Just enjoyed the challenge, enjoyed being here.” He scored a total of 41 points in 10 races and three sprint events, qualifying inside the Top 10 in several occasions which includes the sprint qualifying.
The results were unthinkable for Haas when they started out with low expectations after a low-key end to the 2023 F1 season. They replaced Guenther Steiner with Komatsu in the winter as well. But from the get go, the team did well enough against their rivals and the updates worked well too.
They were good enough for sixth but for the double podium by Alpine in Brazil. “Overall, it was a very good year, I mean, you always forget quickly where we were last year and how down we were some days and how much s**t we had to eat,” said Hulkenberg. “It was tough last year.
“To have come out and turned that situation around like we did, it’s a hell of an achievement from everyone in the team. I really enjoyed being part of that. It’s been very enjoyable with everyone. I think Ayao has done a fantastic job this year as TP.
“So many things came at him, and he’s really worked through all of them. It’s been impressive and good. So yeah, I just leave happy. They’re a strong contender if they keep working like this. I know they’re a serious contender in the future. And, yeah, probably in and around the fight for P5.”
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