F1 News: Guenther Steiner explains why Haas signed Nico Hulkenberg
Guenther Steiner has explained why Haas decided to sign Nico Hulkenberg as a replacement for Mick Schumacher ahead of the 2023 season.
Hulkenberg will return to Formula 1 after spending two years on the sidelines, joining Haas in their efforts to build on an encouraging campaign in 2022.
The American squad's limitations were still present, with the team unable to introduce consistent upgrades to match the improvements made by rival teams on the grid.
As quoted by formula1.com, Guenther Steiner has explained why Haas chose Nico Hulkenberg to help the team progress and move forward:
"We are the youngest team, and in the last two years, we lost a little bit of our momentum when the pandemic came, and so on.
"So it's [about] how we can bring the team back where we want it, like in 2018 and maybe even 2019...
"Mick did a good job, but we needed to carry him, and we needed someone to carry us a little bit.
"We waited a long time because it wasn't clear the decision.
"The market went our way, nobody really picked [Hulkenberg] up - so we waited a little longer than you do normally.
"But I think this is the best we can do for the team to move up again to where we want to be."
Like all team principals, Guenther Steiner will be under pressure to demonstrate the American squad's potential next season.
Haas proved they could compete in 2022, but next year will prove whether they can make meaningful improvements compared to other teams on the grid.