Nico Hulkenberg, the Haas Formula One driver, sported an eye-catching dyed bleach blond look at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday, and he couldn’t help but make light of his appearance, jokingly referring to it as his “Barbie movie vibe.” During the press conference held at Hungaroring, Hulkenberg playfully dismissed the idea that his haircut was a result of a bet. He amusingly quipped, “No, not a bet… you know, that Barbie movie came out and I thought a bit of extra PR for me would be pretty handy this time of the season. Actually, no, I wasn’t aware of it. I didn’t really play with Barbie and Ken when I was a child. So I just ran into this one and bad timing, I guess.”
Putting aside the humor, Hulkenberg acknowledged that his U.S.-owned team might face a challenging weekend, despite introducing some minor upgrades to the car’s floor. He expressed optimism that the modifications would provide a competitive advantage. However, he remained realistic about the fiercely competitive field, emphasizing the significance of every session and lap.
Qualifying sessions posed a specific concern for Hulkenberg and his team, given the new tire usage rules. With the requirement to use hard tires in Q1 (the first phase), he anticipated a less favorable setup for Haas. Nevertheless, he embraced the challenge and expressed his determination to overcome it.
Adding further complexity to the race weekend, the 11th round of the season marked the first ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ (ATA) event. This meant specific tire compounds were mandated for each phase of qualifying, removing the teams’ freedom of choice. The phases were assigned hard tires for the first phase, mediums for the second, and softs for the final top 10 shootout.
As the current season progressed, Haas held the eighth position overall in the standings after ten races, with Hulkenberg contributing nine of their 11 points earned thus far. Despite the hurdles ahead, the team remained resolute in their pursuit of success in the highly competitive world of Formula One racing.