Italian GP: Mixed Fortunes for Haas with Hulkenberg 10th

Haas F1 sees varied results in Italy: Hulkenberg excels, Magnussen faces challenges.

Haas F1 team drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, qualified 10th and 13th respectively for the Italian Grand Prix.

Both drivers had the pace to advance beyond Q1. Then, Hulkenberg and Magnussen each began Q2 on used soft tyres to find their rhythm. Armed with new tyres, Hulkenberg delivered a rapid lap to break into Q3, finishing both Q2 and Q3 in tenth position.

“I think it’s a good job to be in the top 10. Being behind Alex (Albon) by such a small margin isn’t ideal; I already lost control in turns 1 and 2, and with the new tyres, I couldn’t get them to stick, each time with new tyres, it didn’t go well, so that’s something to understand. Overall, I’m happy, the car handles quite well with the low downforce package, I have a good feeling and I’m confident and I hope we can benefit from it tomorrow. I think we’re in the mix, but I expect it to be very tight.”

Magnussen’s first lap in Q2 proved to be his best of the session, placing him 13th.

“The nightmare continues in qualifying!” exclaimed the Dane.

“In Q1, the Williams came out in front of me and there was so much dust I couldn’t tell if he was off-track or on-track – I couldn’t see anything – so that lap was wasted. It’s very important to have a good slipstream here, it can give you three tenths, and I started behind the two Alpines but they were on a preparation lap, so I ended up without assistance, completely alone. That’s the margin I’m missing for Q3, but 13th place isn’t too far from the top 10 and we can do something from there.”