Nico Hulkenberg achieved his best personal qualifying result — and Sauber’s best of the season — in Sprint Qualifying for the Austin Grand Prix.
”Our own feeling and perception maybe doesn't always match what the lap times say, but the lap times and the stopwatch doesn’t lie”- Nico Hulkenberg
Commenting on his fourth-place finish to F1 TV, the German driver said: “(I am) satisfied, happy as you might imagine. Obviously in FP1 things were looking good already but it kind of looked too good to be true, so we weren't sure if that's the real deal or what other people were up to with their program, but we were able to continue that trend.
”The car felt quite alright. Obviously your own feeling and perception maybe doesn't always match what the lap times say, but the lap times and the stopwatch doesn’t lie, and that looked pretty good all day. So happy to take that forward and hopefully we can hang on to it this weekend.”
Shifting his focus to the Sprint, the Sauber driver admitted it will be difficult to hold on to his starting position: “It's going to be difficult, even though it's not a full race. But even in the Sprints there's a bunch of really quick cars with usually also a little bit better tyre degradation numbers. Obviously, we'll fight, see what we can hang on to, and hopefully, something rewarding.”
The German driver is no stranger to results that exceed the potential of the C45. Who could forget his remarkable podium finish — the first of his career — at Silverstone? It came in a race marked by changing weather conditions, yet it still highlighted the strength of the project led by the former Red Bull man and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.
Beyond his British Grand Prix success, Hulkenberg has collected several more points finishes over the course of the season.
Speaking to GPblog on the eve of the Austin weekend, he emphasised just how much of an impact a figure as experienced and respected as Wheatley has had on the team.
Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.