Hulkenberg returned with the US-owned F1 workforce after three years with out a full-time seat.
Throughout his absence, he saved his hand in with 5 reserve appearances with Racing Level/Aston Martin.
The German has twice made Q3 within the first three races along with his new workforce, and in Australia he scored his first factors with a powerful run to seventh place, though Haas felt he ought to have been a spot larger and protested the outcomes with out success.
“I take quite a lot of positives out of this race and [going] ahead,” Hulkenberg mentioned after the Melbourne occasion. “I really feel quite a lot of good issues taking place nonetheless. I am refreshed, I’ve acquired mindset, a really constructive mindset, I am feeling hungry.
“I actually get pleasure from working with the workforce, exploiting the automobile, experimenting with the automobile, and we have got a really good rhythm and momentum, and I believe that is what we need to protect and hold now, and take that into the following couple of races.”
Hulkenberg admitted that he now has excessive expectations after the automobile proved to be aggressive firstly of the 2023 season.
“It is my third race after three years out,” he famous. “It is loopy and attention-grabbing how folks get so used to it and spoiled so rapidly. The primary few races I imply, we have been in Q3 two instances, as soon as I believe eleventh.
“Kevin [Magnussen] scored some extent in Jeddah, I used to be within the factors now, so I believe if you happen to take a step again and have a look at it, I believe it isn’t a nasty begin of the season.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23, Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04, the rest of the sphere on the opening lap
Photograph by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Pictures
Hulkenberg is feeling extra snug within the automobile as he will get extra mileage in it.
“Clearly the start of the season is such a steep studying curve for the workforce,” he mentioned. “But additionally for myself after the time away. So I really feel fairly joyful and assured that there is extra good issues forward of us.
“I felt good from the get-go. I believe the connection between me and the automobile, clearly, we’re nonetheless rising, we’re nonetheless solely in race three. And I really feel prefer it’s getting higher and higher, which is sweet.”
Hulkenberg acknowledged that there’s shut competitors within the midfield pack, which implies that it’s simple to maneuver up and down the order.
“I really feel you’ve got the highest 4 groups, or 5, I do not know with Alpine, however then the midfield is 5 groups. So there isn’t any backmarkers anymore.
“We’re all like in a single bubble just about inside a few tenths. So a small mistake can have an enormous consequence. But when it is good additionally vice versa, you end up proper on the high 10. However it’s enjoyable, so aggressive.”
