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?
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?
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?
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.
Looks weird, but it’s a great exercise to strengthen and stabilize your head. ? pic.twitter.com/UjOlG177QI
— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) September 23, 2017
