Nico Hulkenberg has revealed how he "broke the ice" with new Formula 1 teammate Kevin Magnussen by repeating his own words back to him. Hulkenberg is to replace Mick Schumacher at Haas in 2023 and drive alongside Magnussen as he returns to full-time Grand Prix racing for the first time since 2019. The two had an infamous incident at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, where Magnussen pushed Hulkenberg's Renault wide through Turns 2 and 3. In the media pen post-race, Hulkenberg confronted Magnussen who retorted that the German should "suck my b***s". Magnussen has been adamant that he has no problems with Hulkenberg joining the team, whilst the German says he greeted his new teammate with the same words used in Budapest earlier in 2022.
Hulkenberg greets Magnussen
"Of course, I expect to have a good relationship with him," Hulkenberg told media, including RacingNews365.com. "We've cleared the incident and broke the ice, at the beginning of the year actually. "I said 'hello' to him with his exact same words from 2017, and he felt that was quite funny and amusing. "I have absolutely no worries working and racing alongside him, we're both grown-up adults and we respect each other and will race for the team."
Hulkenberg in 'a fresh mindset' for 2023
Since losing his Renault seat at the end of 2019, Hulkenberg has dovetailed being a TV pundit for German TV with being a COVID-19 stand-in driver, deputising for the likes of Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll (both 2020) and Sebastian Vettel (2022). He says having a break from full-time racing has left him "fresh, good and healthy". "You approach it professionally and always fight hard to do what you can, but I think a lot of the sport is [in the mind]," he added. "You've got to be happy, fresh and in a good mindset – that's what then gives you confidence. "If you get into a cycle where you don't have that, then it gets tough and uncomfortable questions come. "It is a vicious cycle, so if you break away from it and come back fresh, it is good and healthy."
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