At the launch of the F1 Drive karting experience at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the topic of his future with the American team arose, given his contract’s expiration this year.

A journalist misinterpreted Hulkenberg’s comments during a press conference, erroneously reporting his supposed contract extension through 2025 while implying uncertainty for his teammate Kevin Magnussen.

Responding to the inaccurate report on social media, Hulkenberg clarified the situation, playfully stating, “Don’t believe everything. Someone took a joke a bit too serious,” accompanied by a winking emoji.

READ: Lewis Hamilton suffers huge Mercedes blow after signing Ferrari contract

With Hulkenberg’s clarification, attention remains on his status in the 2024 driver market.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu aims to address the team’s issues with the VF-24, hoping to make Haas an attractive option for drivers in 2025.

Komatsu acknowledges the team’s developmental challenges, expressing excitement for the prospects ahead, saying, “It’s certainly very exciting times for us in Haas.”

READ: Lewis Hamilton sent massive warning by ex-boss

Komatsu faces forthcoming decisions regarding the team’s driver lineup.

With Hulkenberg and Magnussen both nearing the end of their contracts and Ferrari academy prospect Oliver Bearman intensifying his testing with Haas ahead of a Formula Two title bid, changes may be on the horizon for the team.

The impending choices signal a potential shift in direction for Haas as they navigate the competitive landscape of Formula One.

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Audi will enter the sport as a powertrain supplier for Sauber, who by 2026, they’ll have a 75 per cent stake in.

As a result, Sauber will become an Audi works team when the new power unit regulations are introduced, something which will open up two more factory seats on the grid.

Hulkenberg is currently contracted to Haas until the end of 2024, meaning he’d likely need to try and get a deal for 2025 with the Americans to be considered by Audi in 2026.

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Racing for a German manufacturer would likely be a hugely proud moment for Hulkenberg, especially as he’s reaching the latter stages of his F1 career.

After being on the sidelines for three years, he proved in 2023 after replacing Mick Schumacher that he certainly still has what it takes to compete for points, whilst he was also a star over one-lap throughout the recently completed campaign.

There’s no doubting that the 36-year-old would’ve wanted more than just nine points this year, with Kevin Magnussen’s six points having left Haas at the foot of the Constructors’ Championship.

Similarly, to Aston Martin, Haas appeared to become weaker the more they upgraded their car, leaving the side with a conundrum for 2024.

Hulkenberg wasn’t afraid of criticising the team’s late-season upgrade, where they basically introduced a B-spec car.

Tyre wear was Haas’ huge issue in 2023, as they tended to fire up their tyres too quickly, resulting in them overheating.

Haas have significant work to do in order to please Hulkenberg and Magnussen, with both drivers likely to consider their options if the side’s 2024 car is just as weak on a Sunday.

For now, Hulkenberg isn’t ruling out anything, although his current focus is on seeing how 2024 goes and whether Haas can give him a “competitive car”.

READ: Max Verstappen gives Valtteri Bottas hilarious present

“Only time will tell,” Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport, when asked if he’d consider a switch to Audi at the end of his Haas deal.

“Let’s see how the season goes next year. Do we have a competitive car? Which people are recommended for which tasks?

“I can’t answer with confidence now. We probably have to position ourselves a little differently internally so that the same thing doesn’t happen again [at Haas].”

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Ocon, Hulkenberg and Perez were having a great scrap Saturday evening at the Lusail International Circuit, with the trio having gone side-by-side on the short run into Turn 2 on Lap 11/19.

Ocon was on the inside whilst Perez was on the outside, with Hulkenberg having been sandwiched in between.

However, Hulkenberg had slightly backed out as they approached the corner, going into Ocon’s blindspot as a result.

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It meant that the Alpine driver thought he had space to get back across onto the racing line, something he didn’t have.

As a result of being unaware of Hulkenberg’s presence, Ocon collided with the German, with Perez having been caught up in the crash as a result.

“It happened all very quickly, very unfortunate,” Hulkenberg explained, as reported by RaceFans.net.

“I was attacking Esteban into turn one and then on the outside line, very low grip here with the sand, but undercut him and then had a good exit out of turn one and kind of went side by side a little bit into turn two.

“I was obviously racing him and mainly seeing him and then I saw Checo appearing very late. I knew it was going to get very pointy and tight, I tried to bail out but it was too late. So, very unfortunate for all three of us.”

Whilst the incident was investigated, no penalty was dished out by the FIA after the sprint.

READ: Max Verstappen wins his ‘first legal championship’

Hulkenberg seemingly agreed with this decision, as he acknowledged that Ocon probably couldn’t see where he was.

“I would like to give him the blame, but I think in this case we can’t because I don’t think he was able to see, and therefore he probably thought I have space to move more to the right.”

The crash actually crowned Max Verstappen as a three-time World Champion, as Perez had to essentially win the sprint to deny the Dutchman another title.

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The Haas team orchestrated a heartfelt surprise for the Danish driver, filling their hospitality area with cake and flowers while team members gathered to convey their warm wishes. 

However, the most intriguing gift of the day came from Magnussen’s teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, who left everyone in suspense with his unconventional choice.

Amidst the birthday festivities, Hülkenberg presented Magnussen with a small vase of flowers, a touching gesture that hinted at something more unusual. 

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As Haas shared a video on social media capturing their team’s birthday wishes for Magnussen, Hülkenberg’s mischievous smile piqued curiosity, leaving spectators wondering about his surprise.

During a press conference leading up to the Qatar Grand Prix, the topic of Magnussen’s birthday gifts came up, and Hülkenberg couldn’t resist sharing a hint of what he had in store. 

When asked if he had brought a gift for the occasion, Hülkenberg replied with a playful tone, “Yeah, he got a cake. 

“And he’s gonna have another special gift later, a personal one.”

Press conference host Tom Clarkson seized the opportunity to unravel the mystery behind Hülkenberg’s secretive present. 

Eager to reveal the surprise, Hülkenberg couldn’t contain himself and promptly disclosed the unorthodox gift, saying, “It’s a toilet brush! I’m sure you don’t want to know the details!”

As laughter filled the press conference room, further questions arose about the choice of such an unusual gift between friends. 

Hülkenberg, still grinning, shed some light on his decision, saying, “All I can really say is that you know in the European season, the driver rooms are in the back of trucks. 

“We share the toilet and the shower and stuff. 

“So that’s all I can say!”

Clarkson, with a wry smile, responded, “We’ll draw our own conclusions!” leaving the audience amused and curious about the friendship dynamics within the F1 community.

In the world of racing, Haas is preparing to unveil an upgraded VF-23 for the upcoming race in Austin, marking a significant development in their season. 

Although not a full B-spec version, the car will feature substantial changes to the concept they’ve employed throughout the year.

Heading into their final weekend with the original specification, Hülkenberg expressed optimism about their performance in Qatar while eagerly anticipating the forthcoming upgrades. 

He emphasised the importance of these changes, saying, “We’re obviously anticipating those ones. 

READ: Lewis Hamilton’s early impressions revealed

“It’s been a long time coming and looking forward to that a lot. 

“So this is the last weekend with the old packaging car, so we will try to survive as well as we can. 

“And then all eyes on Austin and the rest.”

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Silly season ahead of 2024 has actually been somewhat relaxed, with the only change so far having been Daniel Ricciardo permanently replacing Nyck de Vries.

Other than that, every driver who required a new contract has been given one by their side, with only Logan Sargeant’s seat at Williams left to be confirmed.

The general expectation is that the American will be given a second season by the Grove-based team, meaning the 2023 and 2024 grids will be almost identical.

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However, with the vast majority of the grid set to be out of contract at the end of next season, several changes could be seen ahead of 2025.

Both Ferrari seats are currently available for 2025, as is Sergio Perez’s spot at Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso is another key driver without a deal for 2025, highlighting just how much action there will be in the driver market over the next 12 months.

Of course, with the new power unit regulations fast approaching, some teams will be signing drivers with the new regs in mind, considering that anyone offered a multi-year deal next season will enter the new era with that outfit.

Hulkenberg is expecting there to be “quite a bit” of movement next season ahead of 2025, meaning that performing well is vital for so many drivers in the upcoming campaign.

“I think there’s still so much gap between now and then,” Hulkenberg said, as reported by Motorsport Week.

“I mean, sounds like quite a big change [the regulations]. And for sure, I think beginning of next year, you start to wonder about that.

“The Musical Chairs I think will move in and work quite a bit next year and I think naturally things will fall in place for people so yeah, depends what happens, how you perform and how strong your value is.”

Alex Albon is in complete agreement with Hulkenberg that a lot of change could be on the cards ahead of 2025, as every team is already “paying attention” to the new engine regulations.

Teams are starting to plan on what drivers they want to enter the new regs with, something McLaren are already finalising having extended Oscar Piastri’s deal until the end of 2026.

Albon notes that there’s been a “big push” in the paddock towards preparing for 2026, something which will have a huge say on the driver market.

READ: ‘Waiting with a lot of money’: Logan Sargeant warned of two massive threats

“Yeah, I think just as Nico said,” Albon added. “Of course we are paying attention to it, I think it’s more that it’s the teams that are paying attention to it more than drivers.

“We’ve just got to focus on our jobs. I think it’s as Nico said we will have our own stock and then it’s our performances that raise or lower it. And then, that’s it really.

“I think more than ever this… I don’t know, I haven’t been in the sport long enough but it does seem like there’s been a big push around 2026 in general from the whole paddock about keeping… there is a big move around then and that’s when we’re going to get the big Musical Chairs like Nico said.”

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Hulkenberg’s comments come in the wake of Alpine’s announcement that they are in discussions with Mick Schumacher about a seat in the Renault-owned team’s new prototype project in world endurance racing.

With Logan Sargeant, Felipe Drugovich, and the possibility of Liam Lawson all vying for the remaining race seat on the F1 grid for the upcoming season, Schumacher’s Formula 1 hopes appear to be dwindling.

Speaking about Mick Schumacher’s situation, his uncle Ralf Schumacher expressed his belief that Mick would perform better than Logan Sargeant, who is among the contenders for the F1 seat. 

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Ralf Schumacher shared his disappointment that Mick, who currently serves as the reserve driver for Mercedes, is looking beyond Formula 1 to maintain his racing career.

Ralf Schumacher remarked, “I think the circumstances under which Mick got into Formula 1 were extremely bad. 

“Year one was with another rookie in a car that said Formula 1 on it, but it wasn’t really a Formula 1 car.”

READ: Liam Lawson breaks silence on replacing Daniel Ricciardo for 2024

He continued, “Ralf says Mick was then ‘too weak’ initially in year two at Haas, and also with a team ‘that wasn’t necessarily behind him – especially the team boss’.”

Acknowledging the tough competition for available F1 seats, Ralf Schumacher conceded that Mick is unlikely to secure the vacant Williams ride, suggesting that Felipe Drugovich has a significant financial advantage in the race for that seat.

Nico Hulkenberg, who had a brief stint racing in both F1 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2015, offered his perspective on Mick Schumacher’s potential move to world endurance racing. 

Hulkenberg emphasised that while world endurance racing is an appealing alternative, it should not be viewed as a substitute for Formula 1.

Hulkenberg stated, “It’s an alternative, but there is no replacement for F1. 

“The WEC is a great series, but of course, it is one step behind Formula 1 in terms of importance.”

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Yet again, Haas were unable to convert their one-lap pace into decent race pace, due to shocking tyre preservation.

All season, the American side have struggled to look after their tyres, something which has left them eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Hulkenberg has often done exceptionally well in qualify to get himself near or even in the top 10, but more often than not tumbles backwards in rapid fashion during the race.

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The story was no different at Monza, where Hulkenberg qualified P13 before finishing in a disappointing 17th, one position ahead of team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

The German criticised the team and insisted that they are currently “really bad”, as soon as the tyres are run for a few laps.

“We’re really bad compared to the competition, Hulkenberg told Sky Deutschland. “As soon as the tyres aren’t new, there is only one way – backwards.”

What really concerns the veteran, is that Haas didn’t take any upgrades to the Italian GP, with him admitting that progress can’t be made if the team aren’t introducing developments.

His frustration was very clear, to the extent that he admitted that Haas aren’t “worthy of points”.

“We were the only team that didn’t bring anything to Monza, no special package – not even a trimmed front flap for last week’s new front wing, said Hulkenberg

“When you do so little, you can’t expect much. To be honest, we are not worthy of points here and far from it.”

READ: Christian Horner on Sergio Perez losing his podium due to penalty

Haas now have just under two weeks before the Singapore Grand Prix, which just so happens to be the most gruelling race of the season for both driver and machine.

Hulkenberg is hopeful that the Marina Bay Circuit will suit the Americans better, although he recognises that miracles can’t be expected.

“Now we have to wipe our mouths and in 14 days we’ll go to a circuit (Singapore) that will hopefully suit us a bit better, but of course we’re not going to unroot any trees there either,” he said.

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As the summer hiatus concluded, drivers eagerly returned to the racetrack, but they also embraced the chance to connect with fans through press conferences, interviews, and interactive sessions. 

Against the vibrant backdrop of Zandvoort, the Haas drivers received a warm welcome from the gathered crowds, demonstrating that their allure extends beyond the confines of the race track.

Amidst the excitement of the fan zone, Hülkenberg and Magnussen unveiled a touch of levity by rolling out two colossal inflatable balls, sparking joviality among both fans and their fellow drivers. 

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However, it was Magnussen who took the opportunity to indulge in some friendly mischief, playfully launching his ball at his teammate’s head, eliciting laughter and applause from the onlooking crowd.

Amid the spirited atmosphere, the duo also took a moment to discuss their aspirations for the impending weekend’s race. 

As they conversed with the fans, Hülkenberg and Magnussen extended their appreciation by distributing team merchandise, including caps and shirts, further strengthening the connection between the drivers and their ardent supporters.

In a recent announcement that reverberated through the racing community, Haas confirmed that their driver lineup for the 2024 season remains unchanged, securing both Hülkenberg and Magnussen as teammates for another year at the very least. 

Team principal Guenther Steiner conveyed his contentment with this decision, emphasising the stability and synergy that the drivers bring to the team.

Steiner shared his perspective on the matter, stating, “I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward.” 

READ: Red Bull react to Charles Leclerc’s comments

He articulated his confidence in Magnussen’s prowess, highlighting his longstanding association with the team: “Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours.”

With a remarkable 113 starts for Haas under his belt, Magnussen’s intimate familiarity with the team’s dynamics is a valuable asset. 

Steiner underscored the benefits of this continuity, stating that Magnussen’s “knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too.”

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The decision was deemed “straightforward,” with Steiner prioritising stability and familiarity within the team.

Addressing the choice to retain Hulkenberg and Magnussen, Steiner emphasised his early conviction in their capabilities, stating, “It was pretty straightforward since a few months ago when I started to say, ‘I think we are pretty good.’ 

“First of all, Nico, at the beginning of the year, obviously we didn’t do a two-year contract because we didn’t know how he would come back. 

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“But he came back very strong.”

Despite Magnussen’s struggles with qualifying pace compared to Hulkenberg, Steiner highlighted the Danish driver’s challenges with the car’s inconsistency. 

Steiner indicated that the pair’s experience and understanding of the team and its dynamics played a crucial role in the decision.

Steiner clarified that his decision-making process didn’t involve discussions with other potential drivers, affirming, “I think we have got the best driver pairing we can get at the moment, with our financials and the effectiveness of our car. 

“So, I never actually spoke to anybody else.”

The team’s move to retain Hulkenberg, who replaced Mick Schumacher for the 2023 season, reflects a strategic choice, as the young German’s high-impact crashes in the previous season led to budget constraints that influenced the team’s performance upgrades. 

Steiner’s decision to focus on familiar names like Hulkenberg and Magnussen signifies a risk-averse approach in the face of the challenges posed by rookie drivers.

Steiner justified his choice by highlighting the relative stability and reduction of risk associated with retaining seasoned drivers. 

He explained, “If you look around the options, there is not a lot without risk. 

“I don’t want to take any risk in the moment because I don’t think that’s appropriate. 

“You can take a risk if the risk is worthwhile to take.

“And, in this moment, we want stability.” 

While acknowledging the potential of young talents like McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Steiner recognised that the path to integrating rookie drivers is fraught with uncertainties.

As Haas F1 looks ahead to the 2024 season, Steiner’s focus on incremental progress and stability remains clear. 

He affirmed, “A year ago the drivers were a concern. 

“This year the drivers are not a concern. 

READ: Sponsorship issues delaying Lewis Hamilton contract as £50mn salary agreed

“Next year they will not be a concern. 

“Tick the box and move on to the next thing. 

“You have to improve.” 

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Both drivers only had deals until the end of this season, with Haas deciding to finalise their line-up for next season well ahead of the conclusion of 2023.

It’s been a mixed year for Haas, who have often shown surprisingly good pace in qualifying.

Hulkenberg in particular has been sensational over one-lap since making his comeback to the sport, having previously not competed in a full season since 2019.

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The German has been a regular in Q3 this season, highlighting his one-lap performance in the midfield team.

Points haven’t been easy for Haas though, who’ve often fallen backwards in the races.

The American side find themselves joint-seventh in the Constructors’ Championship on 11 points with Williams, although Alfa Romeo are just two points adrift.

Should the team improve their race pace, then top 10 finishes will come for the experienced Hulkenberg and Magnussen, who team principal Guenther Steiner has been very impressed with.

“I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward,” Steiner said, as reported by Sky Sports F1.

“Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too.

“On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula 1 and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel.”

Hulkenberg really has been one of the stars of the season, with nobody having quite known what to expect ahead of his return.

He’s actually been the stronger of the two Haas drivers, and sits 14th in the Drivers’ Championship on nine points.

The experienced German is happy to get his deal for 2024 sorted so soon, allowing him to keeping focused.

“It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance,” Hulkenberg said.

“I enjoy being part of the team and share Gene and Guenther’s passion for it. We’re competing in a very tight midfield and I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve done together so far and taking that forward into 2024.”

2023 hasn’t been the best of seasons for Magnussen, who looked stronger in 2022.

He has scored just two points in the opening 12 races but is confident that he can work with the team to get the car into a good window for the end of 2023 and into 2024.

READ: Toto Wolff: ‘I thought I was dead’

“I’m obviously very happy to see my relationship with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team extended once again,” Magnussen said.

“My return in 2022 had been unexpected but was filled with numerous highlights, and although this season hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped, we’ve still managed to get into the points and shown potential in the package we have.

“There’s plenty of racing remaining in 2023 and we’ve got a lot of work to do to continue to understand the VF-23 – that learning can be applied into the 2024 car.”

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