Nico Hülkenberg insists it is time to refocus this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after his race-ending crash in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago, and he is looking to make amends for the loss of points his incident with the turn four wall caused.
The Renault Sport Formula One Team racer had put himself into a good position having started fourteenth following a penalty for a gearbox change and had made it up to fifth behind his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. when he hit the wall with his left rear wheel, breaking the suspension and ending his afternoon.
“We all have bad days,” said Hülkenberg. “What happened was unfortunate, but that’s racing as the saying goes. It’s time to reset and refocus and look forward to Spain, where I want to make amends.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, Hülkenberg says the track is one that everyone knows really well due to their time testing there before the season starts. He knows the importance of starting the weekend on the front foot, with the German eyeing a fourth points finish of the season.
“It’s a circuit all teams know really well as we rack up a huge number of laps there each year with winter testing,” said the German. “Engineers, as well as drivers, have a lot of data and knowledge about it, so we’ll be looking to maximise our pre-race preparations to hit the ground running on Friday.
“I like the layout, especially the first sector with turns 1-2-3, which are especially quick with the low downforce cars. It’s a physical circuit to navigate with a couple of high-speed right handers.
“It’s important to prepare the neck for this endurance challenge, and after the race you usually feel the aches and pains!”
