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Haas team principal has something special planned for Nico Hulkenberg if he scores the team's first F1 podium.
The German has been a veteran of the sport, and his return has been a breath of fresh air. He has outqualified teammate Kevin Magnussen in all three races and scored points in Australia, where he came close to a podium.
Steiner is very happy with Hulkenberg's form and admitted that a bottle of beer or wine will be awaiting him if the German scores a podium. Talking to NTV, the Haas team principal said:
“I’m not talking about driver contracts, but he’ll definitely get something. I can be open about it – he won’t be angry. It will be more than a bottle of beer or wine.
"There’s always an incentive, but’s not just a material thing for Nico. We all know he’s a very good Formula 1 driver, but he’s never been on the podium. For him, that would also be a crowning achievement for his career. It would also be nice for Haas.”
Steiner also feels vindicated with his decision to have Hulkenberg replace Mick Schumacher this season Talking about the early season form from the new recruit, Steiner told Racer:
“That was the whole thing — how can we bring the team forward? And Kevin is part of the team. I think it’s a motivation — not only for him, it’s also he can see that if he cannot find his set-up he has got a very experienced team-mate to lean on. And that’s what he [Hulkenberg] is doing."
He added:
“He was strong (in Melbourne), maybe not as strong as in Jeddah, but he said it himself that in qualifying he made a mistake at Turn 6 on his Q2 lap, and it didn’t work out. But he knew where it went wrong, and the speed is there from the car and the drivers. If we continue like this, there will be a race coming that both of them are getting into the points."
Nico Hulkenberg's first podium a possibility?
He was very close to scoring a podium in Australia during the second red flag restart. He had climbed his way up to P4 behind Carlos Sainz (who received a penalty post-race). Unfortunately, because of the regulations, he had to be content with a P7.
Having said that, with the kind of form he has shown, one or two races where things go haywire, Hulkenberg could take advantage and finish on the podium. Can a podium be ruled out? Possibly not, but it would be very difficult to score one as well.
