Hulkenberg satisfied after finding Haas’s ‘sweet spot’ in Abu Dhabi with top-three result in FP2

Nico Hulkenberg looked remarkably quick on the opening day of action at the Yas Marina Circuit for Haas, finishing FP2 with the third-fastest lap after putting his car in “a happy place”.

In his final Friday outing for the American team before he moves to Kick Sauber, the German driver dialled in the VF-24’s performance to slot in behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

FP2: Norris leads team mate Piastri and Hulkenberg during second practice in Abu Dhabi

He finished 0.462s off the pace set by the papaya team, providing a glimmer of hope for Haas’s aspirations of ending the season sixth in the constructors’ standings – they need to outscore their nearest rivals, Alpine, by six points this weekend.

He had another strong result in the day’s first practice session when he clocked the sixth-fastest time, albeit narrowly behind Pierre Gasly who has scored the majority of Alpine’s points this season.

“It was a very solid Friday,” Hulkenberg said following FP2. “From P1 this morning, the car felt somehow in a happy place in the sweet spot, which is obviously a good place to start from, a good foundation.

“Now we need to try and preserve that – try to improve little things here and there and just optimise everything. Be good on the operations side and execute cleanly.”

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The times set in FP2 could be considered the most representative ahead of the more competitive sessions, as the track action took place at a similar time to the upcoming qualifying hour and 58-lap race.

Hulkenberg’s rapid times in practice therefore bode well for tomorrow evening’s qualifying, with his team mate Kevin Magnussen finishing the day in eighth place, taking advantage of some usual frontrunners finding themselves further down the order.

Haas were also one of only four teams to have their drivers partake in both practice sessions, as six rookies were drafted into FP1 to fulfil the teams’ commitments to running rookie drivers twice a season.

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“I think in P2 a lot of guys were out of position for whatever reason," said Hulkenberg. "Many main drivers didn’t run this morning so maybe it had something to do with that.

“I think it’s still going to be a challenge to get into the top 10 and into Q3, but I think it’s possible if we do a really good job.”