Kevin Magnussen settling nicely with Mick Schumacher-replacement and Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg
Despite previous relationships, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg have a lot of respect for one another, according to Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner. Steiner claims he was unconcerned when he saw Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg getting close to one another while competing.
Hulkenberg, 35, replaced Mick Schumacher in Formula One this year. At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the two drivers faced off as Kevin Magnussen made his way up the field in an effort to score the team's first points of the year. This Haas pair notoriously battled in 2017, and their insult "suck my b*lls" stuck in people's minds.
Despite the two drivers' history and Haas' prior issues with teammates colliding with one another, team principal Steiner claimed he wasn't anxious when watching the two drivers.
"I was not getting nervous or anything because I see them working outside of the car together, so you can imagine if nothing goes completely wrong what they're doing on the race track," said Steiner to media during an interview.
"I think they respect each other and they knew that there was no point to race into each other, because that wouldn't help either of them. So I was pretty relaxed about it. I find it pretty cool, because everybody was expecting, 'Here we go again!' and nothing happened." he continued.
Steiner praised Hulkenberg's performance already in 2023, noting that the German had finished P7 in Australia before returning and earning his first-ever points finish. Following a difficult period with the inexperienced Mick Schumacher, the Haas team manager feels they "got what they wanted" with Hulkenberg.
An Australian F1 fan was injured by debris from Kevin Magnussen's car
Being trackside at an F1 race is the best way to take in the action and excitement. However, one local F1 fan got more than he bargained for when a piece of Kevin Magnussen's Haas debris struck him at the 2023 Australian GP over the weekend.
“Magnussen goes flying down the track and then all of a sudden, something hits me in the arm and a bunch of people start running around, scrambling, It slapped me in the arm and I was just standing there bleeding.” Sweet explained to 3AW radio.
When Kevin Magnussen crashed into the barriers in the closing laps of the race, Will Sweet was alongside his wife. The incident happened right before the two Alpine drivers collided with one another on a racing day full of incidents.
Magnussen was caught off guard by the sweeping left-hander, which sent his right rear tire and a mess of debris soaring into the air. This forced the Danish driver out of the race and earned him a DNF for the third race of the season.