• Classification Carlos Sainz shines on the worst day of the year for Fernando Alonso

The garage of the modest Haas team in Montmeló is a party. One of its drivers, Nico Hulkenberg, will start this Sunday (15.00 hours, Dazn) from seventh position ahead of Fernando Alonso. "Here we have found a speed that we have never had. It's a fantastic feeling. Obviously there are still many things to improve, but I have good pace and very good feeling with the car, "said the German hours before in conversation with EL MUNDO. He was right. After what has been seen in the classification, in Barcelona he can raise the level of an already special season for him. In the Australian race he finished seventh, the best result of the team this year, but in the other five races he finished far, far from the points. If anything, it's back.

In 2019, after a decade in Formula 1, he was left without a steering wheel and until the call of Haas he had to work as a reserve at Racing Point and Aston Martin. At that time his retirement was an option, also to occupy the current seat of Alonso by the departure of Sebastian Vettel, but finally he has found his place. At 35, at Haas he can extend his career a while longer.

Is it difficult to get the body used to a Formula 1 race again? No, no, physically I feel very good, although the breaks are not helping me to pick up pace. In April we had three weeks off, before Monaco two more... It's also been a special season for me. I'm enjoying the process like never before, the days before the race, the preparation of the car with the mechanics, analyzing every corner... I guess I'm getting older and I value everything more.Is it cold outside the World Cup? In my case it did not go badly. I needed to stop, focus on my family, regain the hunger for competition. In fact, I think for a while I did really well. Being outside changes your perspective, makes you grow. Obviously for a while I had doubts about my return, but now I feel more motivated than ever in my life. In 2020 I was coming off a very difficult season and, as I said, I needed to stop. I wouldn't say I lost the desire to go back, but I just didn't think about it. It was something that wasn't in my head. Then in 2021, all of a sudden, it started to be hard for me to be out, to watch the other drivers on TV, and last year, that feeling intensified. From home I longed to have another chance, to be able to compete again. His car, the Haas, is not making it easy for him. We are in the peloton, we are competitive, I think we are going in the right direction. It is true that so far we have needed a perfect race to score, but there is a lot of equality and we are always close. Fighting for podiums? We are not in that position, I should not think about that because there are four teams with a lot of resources, with a lot of advantage, and our fight is different at the moment. Joan MonfortAPThe three years without an official steering wheel was a reserve for Racing Point and the team that succeeded him, Aston Martin. Are you surprised by the season they are doing?Mmmm... I don't know what to say to him. I had the feeling that the car was going to improve, but not so much. In 2021, Aston Martin began a very aggressive personnel transfer policy, especially in a field as important today as aerodynamics. A lot of people came to the team, very, very good people. They are now reaping the fruits of that effort. As team leader, Fernando Alonso, at the moment, has five podiums in six races. It's an example of how to keep that fire, that passion for driving alive. It is clear that he is a two-time world champion, but he was also out, he returned to Formula 1 and now, at 41, he is enjoying himself. It is a sign that in this sport you can endure if you stay motivated. You don't have to be in your twenties to get results. Also, from 2011 to 2016, he raced at Force India, which would become Racing Point and then Aston Martin. What remains of his time there? The factory, which remains the same, although they will soon inaugurate the new and part of the equipment. Everything is different, of course, but at Aston Martin there are like 50 or 60 workers left from my time at Force India and it shows. In a modest team you learn to take advantage of every penny, to invent, to redouble efforts. He talked to me about being in his twenties. Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, you and even Checo Perez or Valtteri Bottas are of a different generation than today. Do you think there are differences with young people? (Think) Yes, maybe. Today's pilots love the simulator, they are a generation that has grown up with video games, wrapped in technology. To usS, the old ones, we don't like it so much, we're more of touching the asphalt. Max [Verstappen], Lando [Norris] or George [Russell] are quite gamers. The demand is the same, the skills you need are the same, but they have learned differently, simply. There is already talk of its renewal, of what will happen in 2024. How long do you see it in this paddock? I'm 35 and Fernando is 41, so imagine (laughs). I don't know, my goal is that at the end of this season I can say: "I did well, I gave the maximum". If that happens, I'll be happy no matter what. Then, we'll see.

  • Nico Hulkenberg
  • Articles Javier Sánchez

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