Kevin Magnussen responds to Nico Hulkenberg's 'rubbing and tugging' remarks

Kevin Magnussen believes that Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg and himself have moved past their past issues. The Dane feels they have both "grown" past the fractious stage of their relationship, and hopes to work together to bring the best out of the team.

The two drivers clashed on the track in 2018, with Magnussen's "suck my b@#!s honey" remark to the German reflecting the friction between the two. In a press conference ahead of the Bahrain GP, Hulkenberg said he and his teammate were "rubbing, hugging and tugging."

Asked what the German’s remarks meant, Magnussen told the media, including Sportskeeda, that they had grown past their rivalry and had evolved into a mature phase of their lives, both personally and professionally.

"Well I don’t understand what that means," Kevin Magnussen said. "So far the most annoying part of getting him as a teammate is being faced with all this stuff about the interview that happened 50 years ago. That’s basically, so far it’s been very good. We’ve both grown up, we have some things in common, we’ve been out of Formula 1 and come back a couple of times."

Highlighting the common ground the two shared, the Dane acknowledged how they have both been in and out of the sport, driven for similar teams and became fathers at the same time. Both drivers drove for the Renault F1 team, where Hulkenberg replaced Magnussen in 2017.

"We’ve become dads almost at the same time as well, so we’re in sort of the same stage of life so I guess there is some common ground. But most of all I hope we can have a very good professional relationship and help the team with the experience we have and the skill."

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Kevin Magnussen believes Nico Hulkenberg is "a great driver" and an amazing individual

Kevin Magnussen has heaped praise on teammate Nico Hulkenberg, saying the German is a talent to be reckoned with and a "really nice guy" as well.

Magnussen said that he had not spent much time with the German since joining the team and that his only understanding of his teammate came from their time spent together while undertaking PR duties.

Asked if Hulkenberg’s experience was good for the team, Kevin Magnussen replied:

"I mean it’s hard to say already because we haven’t actually worked together. We’ve not been present at the track at the same time, hardly. I did the mornings and then he did the afternoons. So most of the time we’ve spent is doing PR stuff."

"And I just learnt that he’s a really nice guy and that’s all I learnt so far. I know that he’s a great driver from seeing him in the past and he's experienced as well so I think he’s going to be great for the team."

The duo are the most experienced driver lineup Haas has had since Kevin Magnussen was paired alongside Romain Grosjean. The Dane returned to the sport to replace Nikita Mazepin in 2022 at last minute notice, with Hulkenberg replacing Mick Schumacher.

Team principal Gunther Steiner has been vocal about preferring experienced drivers over young talent or rookies after his experience with both Schumacher and Mazepin.