Hulkenberg Counts Haas as a Threat, Not McLaren

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg believes that Renault’s main threat for the honorary title of ‘best of the rest’ this season is Haas. Initially, Renault figured that customer team McLaren would be a challenge. However, the latter’s recent performances may have changed that opinion. Even the Force India team is not performing as consistently.

As the Formula 1 season reaches its half-way mark, Renault appears to have cemented their position in the mid-field. The French manufacturer leads Haas by 19 points with Force India and McLaren right behind.

Looking ahead, Hulkenberg sees Haas’ recent form as a reason to consider the US outfit a threat.

“It looks like it now, since the last couple of weekends,” said the German driver.

“I think its shifted around with Haas coming through more and McLaren seem to have lost out a little bit. We take them seriously because they are fast.”

The Ferrari power of Haas’ VF-18 chassis has been demonstrated in the hands of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. However, bad luck coupled with a several mishaps – mainly initiated by the French driver – have cost the team precious points.

“How they got there doesn’t really play a role for me, they are strong at the moment and we just have to deal with it,” added Hulkenberg.

“They fulfilled their potential [in Austria], whereas before they’ve really missed out.

“The momentum sometimes swings around, but at the end of the day they have a strong car and a good package.”

In all honesty, Renault have a chance of beating Haas if they maintain a sense of consistency. Although the Haas F1 team tend to qualify well, they often drop down the grid. The French manufacturer have been quite consistent so far and have finished in the points on a number of occasions. In the end, this could help them in the long run.