Nico Hulkenberg’s practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix was cut short due to an engine failure in his Haas VF-23, forcing the team to replace his internal combustion unit ahead of Saturday’s sessions.
During FP2, Hulkenberg’s car came to a halt with smoke emanating from the engine, bringing an abrupt end to his running. The setback came after a disrupted FP1 session, which was red-flagged due to a CCTV issue shortly after its start. As a result, Hulkenberg finds himself with limited valuable track time heading into the crucial stages of the weekend.
With an extra 30 minutes added to FP2 in an attempt to compensate for lost time, Hulkenberg, like his competitors, had hoped to make up for the setback. However, he was unable to complete a significant amount of running on Friday.
The mechanical issue encountered by Hulkenberg necessitates substantial work from his mechanics, although he remains optimistic that an “all-nighter” in the Haas garage won’t be required.
“After completing one run, the ICU failed,” Hulkenberg explained after the session. “There was some smoke and a distinct barbecue smell. Obviously, it’s not an ideal situation for the rest of the weekend, but we have to accept it now.
“We’ll have to analyze the data from the other car, learn from it, and strive to deliver the best possible package that we can for tomorrow.”
The Haas team will now focus on rectifying the issue and ensuring that Hulkenberg’s car is ready for Saturday’s sessions. With limited track time, the German driver and his team will need to optimize their remaining opportunities to fine-tune the car’s setup and find the necessary performance ahead of qualifying and the race.
Despite the setback, Hulkenberg remains determined to make the most of the situation and work closely with his engineers to extract the maximum potential from the car in the upcoming sessions.
