Nico Hulkenberg now has just three rounds remaining as a Haas driver and is eager to go out on a high ahead of joining Sauber, starting with the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
F1 has returned to Sin City this weekend for the second running of its latest night race. Max Verstappen won the inaugural edition of the Las Vegas GP in 2023, and could win his fourth drivers’ championship at the 2024 race if Lando Norris cannot outscore him by three points.
Hulkenberg has less happy memories of the 2023 Las Vegas GP after the 37-year-old retired on Lap 45 of 50 with an engine problem. His race even hit an early bump when the German had to take avoiding action as Fernando Alonso spun at Turn 1 after only qualifying in 13th.
Nico Hulkenberg knows the Haas driver must ‘be careful’ at the Las Vegas GP’s Turn 3
Hulkenberg, who returns to Sauber in 2025 on a multi-year contract as a works Audi driver, admits he ‘messed up’ in qualifying for the 2023 Las Vegas GP and it cost the Haas star. The zero-podium veteran knows Hulkenberg must ‘be careful’ at Turn 3 or risk a repeat in 2024.
Turn 3 is one of the most important corners at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit as it leads into the second main overtaking point. Much like Turns 12 and 14, drivers need a planted car on the exit of T3 to carry speed onto a straight, with T14 leading onto a long run to the pit straight.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Las Vegas GP moments including Sainz’s drain cover crash
His mistake at T3 in qualifying last season cost Hulkenberg a chance to join Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen in Q3 for the Las Vegas GP. The German missed out on the top 10 by only 0.170 seconds to Valtteri Bottas, whilst Magnussen eclipsed his teammates’ time by 0.315s.
“I know that I have to be careful at Turn 3,” Hulkenberg told the media before the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. “I messed up there in qualifying last year.
“Basically, you need good traction coming out of the corners. We have numerous sections where you drive from a relatively slow corner onto a long straight. We also drive with flat wings in order to be fast enough on these straights.
“You have to find a healthy compromise. And you have to find ways and means to get the tyres to work despite the low temperatures.”
Haas cannot afford Nico Hulkenberg ‘messing up’ in Las Vegas again in 2024
Magnussen went on to qualify P9 for the 2023 Las Vegas GP and came home in P13 as Haas missed out on scoring points by 15.329s. The American team will now need Magnussen and Hulkenberg to deliver at the 2024 Las Vegas GP to help Haas in the constructors’ standings.
Alpine’s double podium at the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon, who will take Magnussen’s Haas drive in 2025, and Pierre Gasly moved the Enstone outfit into sixth place in the constructors’ standings. Alpine now head Haas by three points with three rounds left.
READ MORE: Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
593 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
557 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
544 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
382 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
86 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
49 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
46 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
44 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
0 |
Hulkenberg has led Haas’ resurgence this season under team principal Ayao Komatsu having scored 31 of their 46 points so far. He also scored points in three successive rounds from the Singapore GP to the Mexico City GP before Hulkenberg was disqualified in the Sao Paulo GP.
Haas ended the Sao Paulo GP empty-handed as Alpine took 33 points after Hulkenberg got help from the marshals whilst stuck on a drain, and 2025 driver Oliver Bearman struggled in the rain in Brazil as Magnussen’s stand-in. So, Haas cannot afford a mistake in Las Vegas.
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