24/09/2017
NEWS STORY
An unfortunate technical issue prevented Nico Hulkenberg from a career equalling best result in Singapore. But he is keen to dust himself down and prepare for the heat and humidity of Malaysia.
What are your thoughts on the Malaysian Grand Prix?
Nico Hulkenberg: It's one of the hottest Grands Prix of the year and we are tested and pushed to the limits. We have to drink a lot of fluids because we lose so much during the race. The track is challenging with lots of high speed corners and fast combinations. I enjoy going to Malaysia. The weather is always different to Europe and takes a bit of getting used to. When you fly there you can see the rainforest which is cool. Rhythm is important around Sepang and it's a nice feeling when it goes right.
How's the circuit to drive?
NH: Turn one goes on forever, it's quite tricky to get right. It's important to find a good flow and keep a good rhythm. The final sector is slightly slower and a bit more technical with long, sweeping corners. This year's cars will mean some of these bends will be very, very quick. It's always hard to find the right balance and tyre degradation is usually quite high. You need to be early on the throttle for both the back straight and then the start and finish straight.
How do you reflect on Singapore?
NH: Sunday was tough to take and left me feeling disappointed. We lost a good result, and it was a case of not having a good enough reliability; that's the way this sport goes sometimes. We lost our fourth position which is a pity especially after all the hard work from the whole team. It would have been a nice bunch of points but that's racing and it happens! The car is looking fast and we have to build on the positives and take it forward now to Malaysia.
A classy and composed drive from Jolyon Palmer saw him secure a career best sixth place finish in Singapore. And he is ready to go on a Sepang circuit which gave him a maiden Formula 1 points finish last season.
What are your thoughts on Sepang?
Jolyon Palmer: It's always nice and warm there and I tend to do well in these humid races; Malaysia last year, Singapore this year so I'm looking forward to it. It's a cool track with a good atmosphere to match. It's a flowing circuit with some long straights, fast corners and hard braking zones. We have a bit of confidence going there. The car keeps getting better, I'm certainly improving too so we'll aim to get another good result.
Is it a feeling of relief to get the first points of the season?
JP: Finally we had a smooth race which is ironic given what was going on with the safety cars and the tricky weather conditions. We made a good start, and the move on Bottas was fun; a lot happened in the two hours. It feels like a weight off the shoulders to get some points, I hope to push on now and get some more. I know I can do it.
What's your record in Malaysia like?
JP: I raced in Sepang twice when I was in GP2 but for various reasons at the time I didn't have any memorable finishes, although one year I came up to ninth from the back of the grid. Last year I got my first Formula 1 point; there are plenty of overtaking opportunities on the track so I'll be looking to make the most of it and add some more points.
Have you seen the sights of Malaysia?
JP: I've seen a little bit of it but we don't always have time to see the places we visit because we have busy schedules. Kuala Lumpur is a really cool city to explore and downtown you can visit the very modern areas with the big famous towers and then you have the more traditional areas and the markets. The city's got a great vibe.