Photo: James Black
Andretti Global’s Dennis Hauger was surprised to start the Indy Nxt season in such imperious fashion in St. Petersburg.
On his first weekend in the championship, Hauger lowered the track record multiple times in qualifying and then won convincingly. Andretti’s pace advantage left HMD Motorsports’ Caio Collet feeling his team needed to react quickly.
Hauger was frank about Andretti’s expectations and how easy the race actually was up front.
“Didn’t expect to be straight up there like that, but we definitely had a good weekend as a [wider] team as well,” he said.
“I think the pace was strong for the most of us, and just had a clean run. Tried to keep it clean up front and not do anything crazy. We had a few safety cars and a few restarts, but managed it well and super happy to end the weekend on top.”
He added: “There’s a lot of new things this weekend for me. So restarts: cold tyres, not really sure how the Firestone tyres are reacting. But it went really well. Took about half a lap, a lap, and we were good to go again. It felt nice, and it felt smooth, and Andretti gave me a good car to be up there comfortably, so happy with that.”
Hauger was repeatedly praised the “pure racing” of Indy Nxt already, describing the on-track experience in more positive terms than his previous home of Formula 2.
“I find it really, really funny and enjoyable out there, so having a good time and it’s going good so far,” he reflected.
“It’s all different. The environment, the atmosphere, and the driving style, the car, the tracks. Everything is different! I go in with some experience overall but it’s all complete new to me. And it was just about getting up to speed. The car’s a lot lighter, and that changes your driving style a lot. I think that’s the main thing, and also the Firestone tyres are a bit different. You can push a lot harder through a race, and do a few more laps in qualifying. Which is something different for me as well. So it’s all been about gaining experience and taking it step-by-step, and we’ve definitely had a good run. But I think we’re building on from here.”