Hulkenberg and Haas surprise themselves: 'No sign of that during winter'

Tenth and last were Haas last season in the constructors' championship, with just 12 points. After exactly halfway through the '24 season, their tally already stands at 27, with Hulkenberg earning the majority of the harvest (22 points). "I think we surprised ourselves, to be honest," the German driver said during an exclusive interview with GPblog. "I don't think we expected that because, obviously, last year was a pretty difficult year."

"Over the winter, there was no real indications that it was going to be that good. And we started testing in the first races and we understood that the car has changed quite a bit, especially on the work on the aerodynamic side over the winter has had a big impact. And that means that we are in a much better position. We're competitive now, Saturdays and Sundays in the midfield. Obviously not at the front, but in the midfield. And yeah, it's a very different scenario in season two."

Haas have modest ambitions and goals

While a similar team like Williams loudly express ambition to eventually fight for podiums structurally, Haas remain modest. Hulkenberg says: "Obviously, Williams has a rich history. Thirty, forty years ago, when they were winning races. But then, obviously, they've also had a difficult kind of 10 years, past 10 years more or less. But Haas obviously is a much younger team in the history of this sport. Everyone always wants to improve. You always want to do better. But to go and win races and stuff…it takes a lot of everything. And I don't think, that's the ambition and the target right now of Haas because that's simply out of reach with the resources and the budget that we have here."

However, Hulkenberg will leave Haas after the current season. He will then switch to Sauber - which team will become Audi's factory team a year later. That the German's goal is to eventually win in Formula 1 was not the main reason for Hulkenberg making the switch. "No. It's obviously, it a very interesting and exciting project for me, for my mid-term future for the next couple of years. We have these big regulation changes coming in 2026, which is a bit of a reset for everyone. And obviously, if you are with a manufacturer, they have more resources, they have more power, more budget. It’s where I think I can have the best sporting future. And besides that, it's with a German brand, it's exciting." Hulkenberg says.

Moreover, it will be a reunion with Andreas Seidl, the CEO of Sauber/Audi Motorsports. Under the German's guidance, Hulkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier in his career. "It was one part of the puzzle having someone that you know, that you trust, that you've worked with is obviously always helpful and positive. He was probably the glue or the combining, fixing link in the story."