Nico Hulkenberg says there is no reason for his relationship with Haas to continue, while Guenther Steiner hinted on the same.
Having made his F1 return with Haas, Hulkenberg was on pace straight up especially in qualifying where he upstaged Kevin Magnussen regularly. Even in races, the German has had a solid outing against the Dane in terms of points too.
But neither drivers have a contract for 2024. While Magnussen is in the unsure phase, Hulkenberg seems to be content and sees no reason to continue on. “I’ll sit down with him regardless,” said the German when asked about speaking with Steiner and Gene Haas.
“Maybe there is no deal to be done? Maybe deal is in place? Who knows? I’m pretty happy and relaxed. I think it works both ways at the moment, and I’m enjoying myself. I think the team is also in a good place. So, there’s no reason not to think why that relationship shouldn’t continue like this,” summed up Hulkenberg.
Team boss Steiner too was all praise for Hulkenberg after he straight up gelled with the car and the team. He said that talks have already taken place and there is no reason to not continue on. “I didn’t expect him to be in such good shape right away,” Steiner told German media. “He hadn’t been a full-time driver for three years, but he came in here and it clicked right away.
“We knew he was good, but we didn’t see that he would be in such good shape immediately. Within the team he has a good relationship with everyone. As a driver, he is good at explaining what he wants. It is nice to see how he performs and how he competes.
“We’ve already talked about the contract, but it’s better to do it in person than by phone or video. The new contract won’t be long in coming. It’s coming and we hope to get it done as soon as possible to be able to announce a new deal, because we are very happy with Nico,” summed up Steiner.
Here’s update on Kevin Magnussen’s contract
