Nico Hülkenberg feels there are a lot of positives to take from the start of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, particularly now that he has scored his first points of the year after seventh place in the Australian Grand Prix.
After three years away from full-time racing, Hülkenberg returned to Formula 1 in 2023 with the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and has already shown that he has lost none of his pace or appetite for the sport, and he says he has enjoyed getting integrated within the team, a team he feels are heading in the right direction.
“I take a lot of positives out of this race and [going] forward,” Hülkenberg is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “I feel a lot of good things happening still. I’m refreshed, I’ve got a good mindset, a very positive mindset, I’m feeling hungry.
“I really enjoy working with the team, exploiting the car, experimenting with the car, and we’ve got a very nice rhythm and momentum, and I think that’s what we want to preserve and keep now, and take that into the next couple of races.”
Hülkenberg says Haas’ start to the season has not been bad, with his seventh place in Australia coming two weeks after team-mate Kevin Magnussen scored a point for tenth place in Saudi Arabia.
The German knew that it would be a ‘steep learning curve’ for everyone heading into the season, but two top ten finishes and two Q3 appearances in the opening three rounds is a good start.
“It’s my third race after three years out,” Hülkenberg added. “It’s crazy and interesting how people get so used to it and spoiled so quickly. The first few races I mean, we’ve been in Q3 two times, once I think 11th.
“Kevin scored a point in Jeddah, I was in the points now, so I think if you take a step back and look at it, I think it’s not a bad start of the season.
“Obviously the beginning of the season is such a steep learning curve for the team. But also for myself after the time away. So I feel pretty happy and confident that there’s more good things ahead of us.
“I felt good from the get-go. I think the connection between me and the car, obviously, we’re still growing, we’re still only in race three. And I feel like it’s getting better and better, which is nice.”