Dennis Hauger hit the ground running when joining the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this year. Since then, he has continued to impress with his car control and wheel-to-wheel racing. At the start of the year, The Girls Who – Motorsport spoke to him about his focus as a rookie driver.
He’s still focused on learning and growing. But coming into the second half of the season he also has hopes to be on the podium this year. We caught up with him again ahead of the Mid-Ohio race. Discussing his relationship with his teammate and the upcoming round, here’s what he had to say.
Connecting With His Teammate
This year, Hauger partners veteran racer Romain Grosjean at Dale Coyne Racing. With the rookie growing up in the Formula 1 ladder, he grew up watching Grosjean race in F1. When he found out there were set to be teammates, “it was a bit of a cool moment for me.“
As is common in motorsports, your teammate is the first to beat. Consequently, the veteran hasn’t given too much advice to Hauger as they race so as not to give anything away. Despite that, the Norwegian shared how they have “had a really good connection so far as teammates“.
As someone who has achieved pole positions and podiums throughout his career, he also admitted that Grosjean is what he needs as a rookie driver. “He definitely is a benchmark to compare myself to as a driver,” he went on to explain as he discussed the relationship.
Because of Grosjean’s track record, Hauger knows that “if I’m there with him or faster than him, I’m in a good window”. So whilst the pair are pushing each other and the team to improve, it’s also a good marker for his own abilities. Being able to work together is also helping Dale Coyne Racing improve and grow.
The Challenges of Mid-Ohio
Up next is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Whilst a classic road course, the technical layout makes it a difficult circuit. Looking ahead to the upcoming round, Hauger stated that “tyre management is kind of a big thing” as it can be easy for them to overheat over the lap. As a result, passing can be hard, making strategy a crucial aspect for teams to get right.
Acknowledging that “qualifying has been one of our weak spots”, the driver also went on to explain what the team is focused on improving in the coming rounds. That aspect of the race weekend is one area that he is looking to build on to allow him better chances during the races.
Last year, Hauger won the Indy NXT round at Mid-Ohio. And last week he came third in a private team test at the track. With a good track record at this circuit, he’s hoping that Dale Coyne Racing can implement some improvements this weekend. “Hopefully we’ll be in the same window as the test” he shared. Ultimately, he doesn’t see any reason as to why they can’t do this.
Whilst he is learning and developing, he knows what he has to improve. By working alongside Grosjean, he’s showing what he can achieve against a veteran driver. With hopes of improvements coming in the upcoming rounds, Hauger has his eyes forward towards a maiden podium. Anything can happen in INDYCAR so that can’t be ruled out, especially for the Norwegian Nightmare.