“It’s like he never left F1”: Nico Hulkenberg receives big praise from Haas boss Guenther Steiner
Guenther Steiner seemed pretty much impressed with Nico Hulkenberg, the latest addition to Haas, after his performance in the first three races of the season.
While Haas hasn't performed as well as they did at the start of the previous season, they have managed to score a couple of points. Hulkenberg has played an important role in it. He managed to finish P7 during the Australian Grand Prix, earning six points in the race.
At the same time, his teammate, Kevin Magnussen, has scored just a single point in the first three races. Hulkenberg has also managed to out-qualify him in all three races. Steiner mentioned Magnussen's low level of satisfaction with the results he has had so far, as nextgen-auto quoted:
"Kevin is not happy at the moment; he is behind Nico. He is happy for the team, and he knows the car is good, so he can get there too. He just needs to get everything back on his side because I know he can do it."
"Ultimately, it all depends on performance, but at the moment, I’m pretty relaxed about it."
He added that Nico Hulkenberg's performance has been quite satisfying and with the skills he is currently reflecting, he deserves to be on the grid:
"Nico clearly deserves to stay if he continues like this. It’s like he never left F1."
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As @HulkHulkenberg demonstrates 😱💪
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Will Nico Hulkenberg's performance affect Kevin Magnussen's Haas contract?
Kevin Magnussen has a contract with Haas until the end of this season and he is currently being outperformed by his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Guenther Steiner is known to be straightforward with his drivers, as he did with Mick Schumacher by not extending his contract due to poor performances.
Steiner said that he has given some time for Magnussen to get back on track:
"For Kevin, I want to give him another five races at least to see where we are with him and then start thinking about what’s next."
This could be crucial for the Danish driver if he wishes to stay with the team in the future. Both drivers have had some bad luck recently, but later in the season, there could be an interesting comparison between their performances.