"Dragged that dog of a car to Q3 so many times": Fans react to Nico Hulkenberg's comments about Haas car's lack of development
Nico Hulkenberg recently gave negative reviews to the Haas F1 car after it was upgraded at the 2023 F1 US GP. The German driver was not at all happy with how it turned out and urged the engineers back at the factory to work differently.
Speaking to Sky Germany, Hulkenberg initially claimed that he has demonstrated how the Haas F1 car, even after the upgrade, is not quick enough. Furthermore, he said that the team's development was at a standstill instead of being on an upward trajectory.
“I have demonstrated that the new car is not faster. And that is quite clearly a problem," Hulkenberg said. "It’s a message to our factory, the engineers and the mechanics. Next year, we have to do things differently. That has been our problem this year. Our development was at a standstill.”
The 36-year-old's comments instantly surfaced on various social media platforms and F1 fans reacted to them. Many praised Nico Hulkenberg for calling Haas' limitations out and for placing himself in Q3 on several occasions despite driving a slow car.
Here are some reactions from fans:
"Dragged that dog of a car to Q3 so many times."
"I like that he‘s so direct. The Team and the Factory surely work very hard, but they need to be honest with themselves. They did a bad job, period."
"Haas were bigging up that they were finally at the budget cap and that would improve their development rate. Then they just didn't develop."
Former F1 driver feels Nico Hulkenberg wants to leave Haas
Former F1 driver-turned-presenter Ralf Schumacher recently spoke about Nico Hulkenberg and how the fellow German is well aware of Haas' woes. Schumacher claimed that Hulkenberg knows that Haas is not capable of competing in the current F1 grid.
"Hulkenberg also realises that Haas is at a dead end with everything they do," he wrote in his Sky Deutschland column. "Haas is probably no longer up to date to be able to compete in the current Formula 1."
Furthermore, Ralf Schumacher claimed that Nico Hulkenberg might also be hoping to leave Haas for good if the situation does not improve.
"That’s a shame for Hulkenberg," he added. "You get the feeling that he’s dealing with the situation openly and honestly, but maybe he’s also hoping that he can get out of it somehow."
After the 2023 F1 season, Hulkenberg ended up in 16th place with nine points in the drivers' championship, while Haas came dead last in the constructors' table with only 12 points.