Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg has now urged Formula 1 to look at an ‘extreme’ issue which affected the opening three Grand Prix in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
The 36-year-old has enjoyed a steady start to his 2024 season with three points in the first rounds. Hulkenberg led Haas to a double points-scoring finish in Melbourne last Sunday. But he is concerned by the huge gaps between the top teams and the rest of the Formula 1 grid.
F1 has split into two packs this year with five frontrunners and five teams fighting for scraps. Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin hold a clear advantage on Visa Cash App RB, Haas, Williams, Sauber and Alpine. The final three teams are all yet to score a point.
Haas star Nico Hulkenberg has only scored points through rival drivers’ misfortune
Only the top 10 drivers can score points in Grand Prix, which Hulkenberg snuck into with P10 at the Saudi Arabian GP and the Australian GP in P9. Kevin Magnussen also made the top 10 in Melbourne after George Russell crashed on the final lap to move the 31-year-old into P10.
Haas now have four points to rank above the scoreless trio of Williams, Sauber and Alpine in the constructors’ championship. But the American team are miles from the top three of Red Bull (97), Ferrari (93) and McLaren (55). Visa Cash App RB are Haas’ closest rival with six.
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Had Lance Stroll not crashed out of the Saudi Arabian GP and Russell not crashed out of the Australian GP after the retirements of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton then Haas would likely have no points, too. Hulkenberg has so far taken advantage of rival drivers’ misfortune.
Nico Hulkenberg urges F1 to look at the ‘extreme’ gaps in pace in the 2024 season
So, Hulkenberg feels Formula 1 needs to look at the huge deficits the five slower teams face in the Grand Prix if Haas et al cannot close up in the coming races. The German even feels a new points-scoring system may now be needed to reward the teams further down the grid.
Hulkenberg has told RacingNews365: “It is tricky as there are 20 cars and only 10 get points and it has been like that for a very long time.
“It feels right but, obviously, [the pace gap] on Sundays is enormous and maybe it is a bit too early to say [change the points]. But if it keeps being like this for more time, then maybe it is something to consider. Even for qualifying, [you could give] points or something.
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“But it is interesting to see with the budget caps how on Saturday everyone is so compact, sitting on top of each other with hundredths or thousandths making a big difference. Then on Sunday, it is just worlds apart. It is extreme and needs to be looked at.”
A late VSC period for Russell’s crashed Mercedes skewered the margins at the close of the Australian GP. But Hulkenberg was the best of the rest at the Saudi Arabian GP with a deficit of 76.996 seconds to race-winner Verstappen. He took the finish 29.605s after P9 Hamilton.
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