F1: Haas will struggle to fix 2023 car

(GMM) Nico Hulkenberg admits Haas will struggle to fix the flaws with its 2023 Formula 1 car – mainly excessive tire wear in the race.

On his return to Formula 1 this year after a forced three-year break, the 35-year-old has impressed – and seems destined for a new contract for 2024.

But while Hulkenberg is often impressively fast in qualifying, he often falls down the order precipitously in the actual race due to excessive tire wear.

“It’s bitter when you’re so good on Saturday and not on Sunday,” he told Servus TV. “The train moves in completely the wrong way and it has happened to us five or six times now.

“Obviously, Gunther (Steiner) and the team management are a bit on fire about that. We need a solution there,” Hulkenberg added.

However, he admits a short-term fix is unlikely for the small American Haas team.

“We don’t have the resources,” said the German. “We’re not a manufacturer.

“We have a small workshop and we actually buy everything from Ferrari that is possible and allowed. We do the rest with Dallara. It’s not a powerhouse like the top teams.

“We don’t have the best engineers, either. They are with the top teams,” he added.

“If we get through it this year, that would be a good improvement from last year. And then of course we have to put out the feelers for next year and focus on something better.”

But Hulkenberg says fixing the 2023 car’s problems is the priority for Haas.

“Not only before and after the races, but also between the races, we have had an extremely large number of meetings over the past few weeks to somehow tackle this problem, to look for solutions and to make a plan,” he said.