Nico Hülkenberg stunned in Abu Dhabi with P4 in qualifying, though a pit lane exit breach could threaten his result.
Nico Hülkenberg delivered a sensational performance in Abu Dhabi qualifying, securing fourth place and a second-row start for tomorrow’s race. The Haas F1 driver notably outpaced the Red Bulls and Mercedes, expressing pride in his achievement.
However, the German driver must face the stewards after qualifying for crossing the pit exit line, a move explicitly prohibited before the weekend by Rui Marques. He could face a penalty for this incident.
“I’ve had a good feeling since securing first place at one point yesterday, and I knew the top 10 was definitely possible this weekend. But I didn’t expect this,” Hülkenberg admitted.
“Several top drivers have been struggling a bit, but the car felt good, and we executed well, so it’s been a very strong qualifying for us.”
“We’ve shown all year that it’s no longer just about qualifying performance, that we’re also competitive on Sundays, so I think everything is still in play for tomorrow.”
“Of course, it’s going to be a challenge. There are a bunch of cars with very similar pace behind us and obviously a few faster cars, with Max, Checo, and Carlos’ Ferrari, so I’m expecting a tough race.”
Kevin Magnussen, meanwhile, had hoped to reach Q3 but completely missed out on his final Q2 lap, ending up 15th: “For some reason, I lost the pace in Q2. It hurts to miss the last qualifying session, but I just need to hit the track, try to recover, and aim for a good race to gain positions.”
“The car clearly has pace; I just don’t know where it went. I was third after the first run in Q1 and thought it would be a solid session, but I don’t know what happened.”
The Dane acknowledges that scoring points in his last Formula 1 race won’t be easy: “I think everyone is fast, so it’s not going to be simple. But that’s racing—we have to give it our all, and I’ll see if I can fight my way back up.”
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Hülkenberg ‘did not expect’ the feat of his fourth-place finish Hülkenberg ‘did not expect’ the feat of his fourth-place finish
