There is something about the Bahrain Grand Prix that just generates magical moments for Haas.
Last year saw the returning Kevin Magnussen soar to a phenomenal P5 finish in the Grand Prix and it could be Nico Hulkenberg’s year this year.
The German has not raced in Formula 1 since his time with Renault came to an end at the end of the 2019 season and many expected Hulkenberg to be a little bit rusty heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix.
This was not the case at all however, as ‘Super Hulk’ made it all the way to Q3, knocking out the likes of Lando Norris on his way to a tenth-place finish.
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Kevin Magnussen was not quite as impressive however, with the Dane limping to a Q1 exit in 17th place.
Haas will be over the moon to see Hulkenberg make Q3 as it begins to vindicate the team’s decision to bring in the 35-year-old to replace Mick Schumacher over the winter, a decision which was questioned by many.
Schumacher was proving to be an expensive asset for Haas due to his inconsistency and crashes, meaning that if Hulkenberg wants to be a success this season, he needs to keep the car on the track and consistently score points.
With the McLaren of Lando Norris starting behind him in tomorrow’s race, Hulkenberg will have his work cut out to remain in the point scoring positions over the course of the Grand Prix.
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Judging by what has been seen from Haas across testing and practice, the team are more than capable of scoring points this season, as long as they can develop their car to keep up with the rest of the midfield.
With Magnussen and Hulkenberg driving for the team, Haas will be able to lean on a lot of experience as they look to develop their car, something which they have been unable to do in recent seasons with the likes of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
Should Hulkenberg be able to convert his Q3 appearance into points tomorrow, the German will be off to the perfect start at Haas.