Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg have big duties when they aren’t suiting up for an F1 race. Both of them are fathers and need to spend time with their children which becomes a difficult task owing to their busy schedules. Sometimes, they bring them to the F1 paddock but the environment there makes it difficult to handle them.
Hulkenberg for one, reveals that he has to plan his entire race weekend out before he brings his daughter Noemi to the track. For starters, he needs to get something that will keep Noemi occupied, since he cannot spend all the time with her. “You really have to make sure you have all the toys and the iPad or whatever to get through the day,” the German said to The Athletic.
Kevin Magnussen’s daughter helping him get ready for qualifying ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hsDZcR4xgz
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 25, 2023
Magnussen, meanwhile, finds having his children trackside to be a bittersweet experience. His daughters, Agnes and Laura know that their dad is racing now, and treat the whole experience as a holiday. The downside is the same for the Dane, who rues not being able to spend too much time with them.
“She [Laura] wants to swim in the pool, and she wants to explore the place that we’ve come to, and I can’t do that. I’m just too busy.”
At the same time, Magnussen’s daughters aren’t affected by the high-pressure environment he finds himself in. Laura isn’t “intimidated” by the cars, and wants to spend as much time being close to them as possible. “She knows that this is what daddy does. And she can be proud of the world that I go into every time I leave them alone.”
Being a father is a bigger deal for Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg
Magnussen and Hulkenberg are in different places with respect to their F1 careers at the moment. The latter signed a deal with Sauber, that will see him move to the Hinwil-based outfit in 2025.
Magnussen, however, isn’t faring so well. The 31-year-old hasn’t had a great season and is on the brink of an F1 exit. Still, he isn’t bothered because his priorities have changed since his last F1 sacking back in 2020. Now, he has two daughters, and he wants to be a great father to them back home.
Hulkenberg will drive for Sauber in F1, but agrees with Magnussen, suggesting that for him too, being with family has become the most important thing.
