‘Strong and Confident’ Nico Hulkenberg claims he is faster than Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen
Nico Hulkenberg revealed that he has been more comfortable with the Haas VF23 than Kevin Magnussen.
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Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg (image via IMAGO)
Nico Hulkenberg made a surprise return to Formula 1 this season with the Haas F1 team. The German driver partnered with Kevin Magnussen at the American team after replacing the ousted Mick Schumacher. The 36-year-old has outperformed the Danish driver so far this year. Now, Hulkenberg has claimed that he is the faster of the two.
The German driver reckoned that he was quicker than Magnussen. Hulkenberg mentioned that in Formula 1, even the smallest differences between drivers’ performance can have huge impacts. Certainly, this seems to be the case at Haas, with the 36-year-old scoring the majority of points for the team. He told Beyond the Grid, “Kevin is fast, but I am faster. All Formula 1 drivers are fast and small differences can have a big impact.”
Nico Hulkenberg revealed that he has been more comfortable with the Haas VF23 since pre-season testing compared to Magnussen. So much so, that the German driver felt confident with the Haas machinery this season. Although Kevin Magnussen has delivered a couple of good runs as well. Hulkenberg said, “At the beginning of the year, I felt more comfortable than him in the car, although he also had his moments. I am very confident and strong.”
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No grudes between Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen
Hulkenberg and Magnussen had a rather heated incident in 2017 when the Danish driver told the 36-year-old to ‘s**k his b**ls.’ However, Nico Hulkenberg claimed that this was well in the past. The drivers have been on good terms since the two met at the 2022 Bahrain GP when Hulkenberg subbed in for Sebastian Vettel while Kevin Magnussen returned with Haas.
The German driver highlighted that the two have had similar career trajectories as they spent some time on the sidelines outside Formula 1 and now have families. Now, the two Haas drivers had no issues with each other. Hulkenberg stated, “We are talking more and there are no grudges. We have had many parallels, we have both been out of Formula 1 for a while and now we have families.”
Nico Hulkenberg believes he is the faster Haas driver this season. The German driver has delivered better results this year than Kevin Magnussen and has been the quicker car on most weekends. As such, it is evident that Hulkenberg has the upper hand on the Danish driver. Although, it remains to be seen if Magnussen can improve in the remainder of the 2023 season.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2308 Articles Published)