After a week’s hiatus, the Formula One grid returns to life this weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix, the first of a double-header before the summer break.
At Haas, the team is looking to “capitalize” on its recent success.
Haas has earned 20 points over the past two race weekends, which has moved them to just four points behind sixth-placed Visa Cash App RB F1 Team in the Constructors’ Championship standings. A strong double-point result at the Austrian Grand Prix saw Nico Hulkenberg finish in sixth place and Kevin Magnussen in eighth, giving the team 12 points.
Then, at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hulkenberg again finished in sixth place, bringing home another eight points for him and the team.
The team attributes their recent success to recent upgrades to the VF-24 and believes the Hungarian layout gives them the chance to redeem themselves in their second Monaco Grand Prix.
“Budapest is a high-downforce circuit with a short straight. The downforce is basically similar to Monaco, so of course we’ll bring Monaco-level downforce and combine it with the Silverstone updates,” Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said at the team’s media preview. “We know we were faster on the straights in Monaco, but of course our upgrades have improved the aerodynamic downforce, so I’m excited to see what we can do in Hungary. It’s all about qualifying, so it’ll be a totally different challenge to Silverstone. Overtaking is very difficult at the Hungaroring, so we’ll put a lot of emphasis on qualifying.”
“We didn’t bring anything home from Monaco so we want to rectify that. It’s like a second Monaco for us. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a totally different challenge but we’re ready.”
Kevin Magnussen also drew comparisons to Monaco.
“Looking back at this season, I’ve been competitive pretty much everywhere I’ve been so far, so I’m looking forward to another competitive weekend at this high-downforce circuit. The track is fun, it’s a small track, it has a go-kart track feel and there’s always a good atmosphere and we have a lot of Danish fans here,” said Magnussen. “We’ll have a double-header at two very different circuits – a very high-downforce circuit in Budapest (similar to the Monaco package) and a low-downforce circuit in Spa, so we’ll really put the VF-24 to the test.”
As for Hulkenberg, the team’s recent success gives them an opportunity ahead of the double-header and summer break.
“The Hungaroring is a fun challenge and it’s a place I like to be. The focus is still on Saturday as overtaking is notoriously difficult there, but we’ve scored some good points and we feel there are good improvements in the car with the new updates, so we’re ready to test it,” Hulkenberg said. “We’re in a good position at the moment and the whole team is very motivated, so we just need to make the most of it in the final two races before the summer.”
Haas will make their first attempt at revenge in Monaco with two practice sessions on Friday ahead of Saturday’s crucial qualifying.
