To compound matters, Haas had actually reminded him about the grid placement on the formation lap. His race engineer radioed, “Remember to leave the free space behind Norris in front of you.”
Nico Hulkenberg ultimately finished the Grand Prix in 16th place, and his team boss, Guenther Steiner, expressed disappointment over the error. “Nico starting in the wrong grid spot at the beginning didn’t help at all because once you get 10 seconds behind at the start of the race where we are, you have no chance. We fought, but it wasn’t enough,” Steiner lamented.
