Nico Hulkenberg says the team he sees as Renault's main threat for the honorary title of 'best of the rest' this season is Haas, discarding challenges from McLaren or Force India.
As the Formula 1 season reaches its half-way mark, Renault appears to have a firm grip on the mid-field, leading Haas by 19 points in the Constructors' standings, with Force India and McLaren right behind.
Looking ahead however, Hulkenberg sees Haas' recent form as a reason to be wary of the US outfit.
“It looks like it now, since the last couple of weekends," said the German driver when asked by Crash.net about Haas' threat.
"I think its shifted around with Haas coming through more and McLaren seem to have lost out a little bit. We take them seriously because they are fast."
Haas' Ferrari-powered VF-18 chassis has demonstrated its speed in the hands of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, but bad luck coupled with a several mishaps - mainly initiated by the French driver - have deprived the team of precious points.
"How they got there doesn’t really play a role for me, they are strong at the moment and we just have to deal with it," added Hulkenberg.
"They fulfilled their potential [in Austria], whereas before they’ve really missed out.
"The momentum sometimes swings around, but at the end of the day they have a strong car and a good package."
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