Renault F1 Team‘s Nico Hülkenberg has expressed confidence that the Canadian Grand Prix will provide the team with an “opportunity to get our season back on track” following a difficult weekend in Monaco last time out.
Both he and his Australian team-mate Daniel Ricciardo had a difficult time in Monaco, Ricciardo leaving with a mere two points. Hülkenberg suffered a collision early in the race, which resulted in his poor performance, although he remains positive.
“I love the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The circuit is great, the city is really cool and the Canadian fans create a superb atmosphere. Montréal always embraces Formula 1 when it comes to town and there’s a real buzz about the place,” said Hülkenberg.
He said their car configuration for Montréal means that the car is not as stable exiting corners at low speed, adding that it can be tricky to get the braking points right consistently. The German added that the circuit layout makes overtaking difficult, although the last chicane can provide an opportunity.
“We have a low downforce configuration for Montréal so the car feels a little light coming out the slower speed corners. To be quick there, attacking the kerbs and being brave by getting close to the walls is very important. It’s a difficult circuit for brakes and you have to be confident when going deep into the corners.
“It’s a difficult place for overtaking, but the final chicane has seen many famous moves in the past and that’s probably the best opportunity.”
Hülkenberg is confident heading into Canada that the team will be able to push for a better result than Monaco.
“We left Monaco feeling disappointed as there was potential for a strong team result given our solid race pace in clean air. We need to get back scoring regular points. After Monaco, I felt very encouraged by improvements made to the car but our competitiveness level was not illustrated by the results.
“Canada is our next opportunity to get our season back on track and we’ll be doing everything we can to return to the top ten.” he said.
