Ahead of the recent Hungarian GP, Nico Hulkenberg was asked for a comment about his relationship with his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen and his evaluation of the skillset of the Danish driver. Magnussen recently announced he will be ending his second stint with Haas after the conclusion of the 2024 season. With Hulkenberg set to become a Sauber driver, he was asked to say a few words about his teammate.
Hulkenberg surprised the entire panel with his kind remarks despite his once-tense history with Magnussen. Hulkenberg said,
“Yeah, I enjoyed working with him [Magnussen] these two years. It’s been definitely enjoyable and you know, we get on really well after our little romance here like a couple of years ago. It was actually quite the turnaround of a relationship and kind of turned into a friendship. And I think we work well as a team. We’re kind of pushing in the same direction most of the time. Yeah, it’s been nice and a pleasure and I wish him well and all the best for his future.”
They’ve come a long way since *that* moment here in 2017
Nico Hulkenberg only has good things to say about his departing Haas team mate, and friend, Kevin Magnussen #F1 @HaasF1Team pic.twitter.com/MOmnEgfgUX
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2024
The ‘romance‘ Hulkenberg mentioned about was his interaction with the Dane when the former was still a Renault driver. The German came up to Magnussen and sarcastically complimented him after the 2017 Hungarian GP.
Magnussen’s reply has been etched in F1 history as the public exchange was widely covered. This is exactly why there were a lot of doubts about whether they would work well as teammates.
However, the two proved the entire grid wrong. There seems to be great harmony at Haas. The two became extremely close and incredible teammates. In fact, there were instances where Magnussen also sacrificed his race to help Hulkenberg.
Hulkenberg is breaking the unlikeliest of F1 teammate friendships
Hulkenberg has made great strides as a Haas driver and revived his almost-finished F1 career. The 36-year-old will travel with the circus at least till the end of the 2026 season. This turn in fortunes is mainly thanks to soon-to-be Audi’s desire to sign a German driver. The Haas driver fit the profile and he did not waste any time in signing a two-year contract.
However, his announcement meant he would not be a part of the Haas F1 team anymore from 2025 onwards. This would break up his harmonious relationship with Magnussen.
The two have achieved great things for the American team in their short time together. At the halfway stage of the 2024 season, they have already collected 27 points and two back-to-back P6 finishes.
Thanks to his continued contribution to the team, Magnussen now has been offered an advisory role by Haas. With his driving future still unclear, as a result of this role Magnussen can still stay close to the sport at least.
