Haas F1 drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg 'working well together', claims Guenther Steiner
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner recently spoke about how Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have a great relationship as teammates. Almost every F1 fan and enthusiast knows about the famous face-off between the two back in 2017 that was captured live on camera. Hence, many doubted how their relationship would progress after Hulkenberg returned to F1 with Haas.
In an exclusive Haas preview for the Saudi Arabian GP, Steiner claimed that both drivers respect each other and are working well together for the American team. He explained how Hulkenberg's entry into the team is good for Magnussen since he has a lot of experience and can push the Dane.
Moreover, He praised the German driver for having good communication with his race engineers and helping the team move forward. The Haas team boss said:
“They’re working well together, and there is respect between them. It’s very good for Kevin to have a teammate with experience, and what Nico brings with him is experience. The race engineers clearly feel like they get a lot of information from him after each session, which will bring the race weekend forward, but also overall the race team forward, performance-wise.”
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Later on, Guenther Steiner spoke about Haas' hopes going into the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. He believes that Jeddah won't be too different from Bahrain, especially after what they learned from the first race of the season. He hopes to push the team as much as possible to get more points in the next race. He concluded:
“Jeddah is a little bit different in terms of layout compared to Bahrain but everything that we learned in Bahrain will help us set-up the car better for Saudi Arabia. Hopefully we get it in a good window and then we can extract the full potential of the VF-23, resulting in points.”
Nico Hulkenberg revealed how he reignited his relationship with Kevin Magnussen before joining Haas
Though Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are not the best of friends, they do not have a bitter and broken relationship anymore. Hulkenberg himself revealed how he tried to reignite his relationship with the Danish driver back in 2022 when he stepped in for Sebastian Vettel at the Bahrain GP. In an exclusive interview with F1.com, Hulkenberg said:
“We actually broke the ice here 12 months ago when I stepped in for Seb. There was this driver picture on Sunday morning and we happened to be standing behind each other. I decided to break the ice, reached out with a hand and with a smile, put his words into his face, and that’s where our relationship actually started 12 months ago."
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This meant that their relationship was already on an upward trajectory, even before he was announced for Haas. However, only time will tell how it will progress throughout the 2023 F1 season.