Kevin Magnussen feels no pressure to forge an off-track relationship with new Haas F1 teammate Nico Hulkenberg, but says there is a lasting ‘relationship’ between them. Say you think it’s wrong.
Haas F1 Team announced ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi that Nico Hulkenberg will join the team for the 2023 season, replacing Mick Schumacher as Kevin Magnussen’s teammate.
Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg collided in the wake of the 2017 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, with Hulkenberg calling Magnussen “the most unsportsmanlike driver on the grid” and Magnussen telling Hulkenberg, “My XX. Suck my balls,” he said.
The two had little contact until Nico Hulkenberg spoke to him for the first time in years at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he was replacing Sebastian Vettel in Aston Martin F1, although they occasionally joked about the incident. .
Ahead of Nico Hulkenberg’s announcement, Kevin Magnussen said there was no problem with Haas F1 team signing Hulkenberg, explaining that there was a misunderstanding about their relationship.
“We weren’t particularly close in the past,” Magnussen said.
“But we met at the airport in Bahrain and we talked for the first time.
“A lot of people think we’re in trouble, but that’s not the case.”
Nico Hulkenberg hasn’t raced full-time since 2019, with only substitutes at Racing Point and Aston Martin, before returning to F1 in 2023.
Haas F1 team have opted to sign Hulkenberg for greater consistency and experience after second-year Schumacher struggled to match Kevin Magnussen on the F1 grid.
Kevin Magnussen says he will continue his open approach with Mick Schumacher despite Hulkenberg’s experience, but says he doesn’t feel pressured to get closer off track to make the partnership work.
“I don’t think you need to be best friends,” says Kevin Magnussen.
“Maybe we’ll be best friends, who knows, but there’s no pressure to build something off the track.”
“I respect him as a driver and I think that’s the only thing that matters. From now on, I’m going to get to know him as a person. I’ve gotten to know him better and as a person. It never happened.”
“But that part is not so important. I am confident that we will work well together as teammates on and off the track.”
Category: F1 / Kevin Magnussen / Nico Hulkenberg / Hearth
