From ‘suck my balls’ to ‘hell of a turnaround’ – The unusual friendship Haas wants to reproduce

Thomas Maher
Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen's harmonious two years at Haas was unexpected, but proved fruitful.

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg ended their time together as teammates as close friends – a far cry from previous tensions between the duo.

Magnussen and Hulkenberg raced together as teammates at Haas for two years, and became good friends in a somewhat unexpected turnaround from what was expected when the two drivers were first put together.

Kevin Magnussen’s infamous ‘suck my balls’ comments

Back at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, the pair – who weren’t teammates at the time – were battling for P10 late in the race, but Magnussen was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Hulkenberg off the track as he tried to defend his position.

In the TV pen after the race, Hulkenberg would confront Magnussen and sarcastically dubbed him “once again the most unsporting driver”.

“Suck my balls, mate,” was the response from Magnussen – an amusing moment that went viral across the globe and marked out their relationship as one that could have spelled trouble when the duo became teammates at Haas at the start of 2023.

But both men had come a long way in their personal lives in the intervening five years with both getting married, settling down and having children, and, instead, became one of the most harmonious teammate duos on the grid.

So cooperative was the relationship, Magnussen even sacrificed his own race on occasion in order to aid Hulkenberg’s race ahead of him on track in a bid to help Haas score points – the Danish driver turning into a moving roadblock in order to hold up rivals and aid his teammate.

It proved fruitful for the pairing, with Haas scoring a total of 58 points in what was a strong season for the American squad as it finished seventh overall – Hulkenberg scoring 41 points, and Magnussen scoring 16 (Bearman scoring the remaining point).

With the “annoying” media pen confrontation long consigned to history, the pair were in a reflective mood as they spoke to media, including PlanetF1.com, after their final race together as teammates at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Hell of a turnaround, eh? That’s life for you,” Hulkenberg said when asked about how he and Magnussen turned things around from that tense confrontation.

“I think our relationship really started in 2022 when I stepped in for Seb [Vettel] at Aston and, from 2023, there was really never any friction.

“I think we were really on the same frequency, very similar points in life on the private side but also on the outlook on life and how we have to work for the team.

“There was a common interest at heart for the team, and it’s been super enjoyable. I know, on the numbers, it might look like it was a bit one-sided but I never felt that way.

“I’ve always felt it was small things that made a difference. He’s pushed me a lot, and I pushed him, and it’s been very enjoyable and very good.”

In Abu Dhabi, Magnussen’s and Hulkenberg’s children could be seen playing together, with Magnussen’s family attending the race in order to see him home as his F1 career came to a likely end.

While Hulkenberg is moving on to pastures new with the Sauber team before it evolves into Audi for F1 2026, Magnussen was left without a drive and, having already secured two comebacks in the past, isn’t likely to find another home in F1.

“They’re really good friends, you know?” Magnussen said of seeing the children playing together in the paddock and Haas hospitality unit.

“It’s unimaginable how Nico’s and my relationship evolved over the years, and it’s been fantastic to have both our families here.

“There’s been a real connection there between our families, and it’s just been really enjoyable.

“It was very enjoyable to share this moment with my daughter and my wife on the grid.

“We sat there just looking – my daughter won’t remember when she grows old, but I’ll certainly remember for the rest of my life, just to sit there and she was excited and proud to be there on the grid.

“She loves being around here. She loves supporting her dad, and that means a lot.”

Ayao Komatsu highlights what Haas will lose for F1 2025

Haas starts afresh with a new driver pairing for F1 2025, with former Alpine man Esteban Ocon joining alongside rookie driver Ollie Bearman.

Having grown accustomed to a harmonious driver pairing in the experienced and mature Hulkenberg and Magnussen, team boss Ayao Komatsu acknowledged he faces a challenge next season to get the same level of cooperation out of Bearman and Ocon and spoke highly of his departing drivers.

“I think the teamwork,” he said, when asked about what he’ll miss the most about Magnussen and Hulkenberg.

“Like, if you just talk about this year, from the get-go, they completely bought into the idea of how to improve the team.

“Kevin and Nico, they helped each other out on the track, off the track.

“Of course, Kevin’s got decent experience of this team, like six seasons before this year, so he knew the people, he knew what I was facing. He knew the strengths and weaknesses. But he’s been so positive and helpful in moving the team around.

“And then Nico, even though before this year he was only with us for one year, he saw enough. And he’s a very clever guy as well, and his work ethic is very, very good. So again, whatever discussion I had, both of them were completely on board.”

Komatsu offered up an example, thinking back to pre-season testing in Bahrain at what was his first event as team boss after stepping into the shoes of recently ousted Guenther Steiner.

Haas’ long-standing Achilles’ Heel was excessive tyre wear in race conditions and, to tackle this, he wanted to run the cars on consistently high fuel loads in testing in order to address this shortcoming.

Tasked with driving heavy and cumbersome cars around all day, Magnussen and Hulkenberg put their shoulders to the grindstone after Komatsu explained the logic.

“When we decided to do the high-fuel, long-run only – to start off, the drivers were not happy,” he said.

“But I said ‘Look, this is what we need to do because of this‘, that’s the biggest problem.

“If we don’t get an answer on this one, we’re not going to move forward. But then, once we were on the same page, again, they never looked back.

“They completely bought into it, on board, worked as a member of the team, and then they made a great contribution. So that team dynamic – Kevin and Nico, they helped each other out on the track, off the track, and they actually made my job easier.

“In the sense that if you have to swap positions or use team orders or whatever, or in a run programme run different fuel loads, different priorities, that may make one of them look worse than he really is, they don’t care. They know that we are working for the team.

“In the end, they just completely focused on the Constructors’ Championship. So that teamwork mentality, they kind of led from the front, if you like.

“So I need to create the same thing next year, with Ollie and Esteban. So that’s probably what I am gonna miss – their cooperation, teamwork, and then driving the team together as a completely integrated part of the team.”

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