Nico Hülkenberg is delighted with the fourth starting position he secured during the qualifying round for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, placing him ahead of Max Verstappen on the grid. However, his joy is somewhat tempered by an investigation into an incident as he exited the pit lane.
In his final qualifying session for Haas, Hülkenberg achieved his second-best result for the team. The German admitted that he did not expect Haas to be so strong in the qualifiers, despite promising speed during the practice sessions. “I had a good feeling from FP1 and thought a top ten was possible, but this good? No, I did not expect that,” he told Sky Sports. “Many of the favorites were struggling, but the car is good and we did well in the qualifiers.”
Hülkenberg’s starting position remains uncertain due to the ongoing investigation, but he remains optimistic about the race. “We have shown throughout the year that we are not only good in the qualifiers, but also on Sunday,” he said. “I expect a challenging race. There are many cars with similar speed behind us and even faster cars like those of Max and Checo and a Ferrari. It’s going to be a tough race, but we are ready for it.”
Possible Penalty
Whether the Haas driver will start from the second row tomorrow is still in question. Hülkenberg may face a penalty for overtaking Jack Doohan as he exited the pit lane during the qualifiers.
