Haas group principal Ayao Komatsu praised the impression Nico Hulkenberg has had on the group following affirmation the German will go away to affix the Audi System 1 undertaking on the finish of the season.
Hulkenberg joined Haas in 2023 and duly scored 9 of the group’s 12 factors final 12 months, in addition to making a number of appearances in Q3 as his qualifying performances stood out. This 12 months has been equally productive to date, with Hulkenberg scoring factors in three of the primary 5 races, however he won’t stick with Haas past the top of his present contract in an effort to be a part of Stake in 2025, one 12 months earlier than the group turns into Audi.
With Haas exhibiting a transparent enchancment in race efficiency this season — an space of battle in 2023 — Komatsu says Hulkenberg has been central to that step ahead.
“I’d like to increase my due to Nico for his contributions to the group within the time that he’s been right here with us – he’s been an awesome group participant and somebody we very a lot get pleasure from working with,” Komatsu stated.
“His expertise and suggestions have proved invaluable to us by way of bettering our total efficiency – a proven fact that’s clearly evident in each his qualifying and race performances within the VF-24 this season. There’s heaps extra racing to go this 12 months, so we look ahead to persevering with to learn from his inputs all through the rest of the 2024 season.”
Haas says it won’t identify a alternative for Hulkenberg within the rapid future, though Ferrari reserve driver Ollie Bearman has been closely linked with a race seat at Haas in 2025 following his FP1 outings and spectacular one-off look for Ferrari on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix final month.
Kevin Magnussen’s contract can also be as a consequence of expire on the finish of this season, with the Dane having been a part of Haas’ lineup for all however two of the group’s years in F1.
