"In the midfield you always have your back against the wall"

Haas announced at the end of 2022 that it would not renew Mick Schumacher's contract. Instead, Hulkenberg was brought to the team, giving the German a permanent seat back in Formula 1 in 2023 for the first time in three years. Haas team boss Guenther Steiner made no secret of why Hulkenberg was chosen: he has more experience, which will be needed to move Haas higher up the rankings.

'If you make a mistake you never come back from it'

That's quite a lot of pressure to have to start with, especially in a highly competitive midfield. "The laws in midfield are merciless and unforgiving," Hulkenberg knows. "I think they are often harder than at the front where you have the luxury of a fast car. Even if you make a mistake or the pit stop doesn't quite work out, you can often make up for it with the speed of the car. In the midfield, you always have your back against the wall - if you stop a lap late or make a braking mistake, you never recover from that."

Haas will hope to continue last year's upward trend in 2023. After an inglorious year in 2021 in which not a single point was scored, Haas managed to claw its way up to eighth place last year. Next season, the team hopes to compete in the midfield. No easy task, as the midfield teams were very close last season.