"I think it's a good rule" - Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg reveal team policy for battling on track
Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg recently spoke about a racing policy that they follow as teammates at Haas.
Right after Haas signed Hulkenberg as their second driver for the 2023 F1 season, thousands of F1 fans and pundits were interested to see how his relationship with Magnussen would pan out. Though people were expecting them to battle for points and position on and off the track, they came up with a neat truce.
While speaking to the media, Magnussen explained that they will try not to compete on the track after the first lap of the race. Though they can push each other and prevent each other from overtaking, they won't intentionally defend and drive intensely. He believes the policy will help them work as a team and push Haas up the grid.
The Danish driver said:
"We have a policy at Haas that we don't block each other. After the first lap, we don't really want to get in each other's way. We don't fight each other. We push – I can push to try and keep him behind, but I can't close the door. It's just being nice to each other and making sure that we are working for the team and not for ourselves."
👁️👁️
Looking to the grid!
#HaasF1 #SaudiArabianGP https://t.co/sKAKvzaOrk
Hulkenberg also mentioned the rule while speaking to the media and how he agrees with it. He too is willing to work as a team and score as many points for them as possible. He said:
"I think it's a good rule. We don't want to make each other's life harder. We're here to maximise our performance and scoring as a team. So I think it's perfectly fine. Absolutely no problems there."
Haas team boss assures that Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are working as a team
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner recently spoke about how well Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are gelling with each other. Though there have been several talks around their relationship since the latter joined the team, Steiner assured everyone that they are working well for the team. He also explained how both drivers will push each other even further, which can be great for the team. He 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.”
YES K-MAG 💪💪 He gets our first point of 2023 after battling past Tsunoda at the end of the race 🏁
A solid drive from Nico as well, who was unfortunately just outside the top 10.
#HaasF1 #SaudiArabianGP https://t.co/z7jCjpa6NE
Though the 2023 F1 season has just started, both drivers have not yet come together or had an intense on-track battle. Only time will tell how their relationship will develop throughout the rest of the season.