Haas drivers ‘rubbing and tugging and hugging’

Haas F1 drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are getting on well in their new role as team-mates at the American-registered operation.

WATCH: Speedcafe.com’s F1 team recap Thursday at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Hulkenberg joins the squad after three seasons out of a race drive, joining Magnussen who returned to F1 last season after sitting out 2021.

It’s the first time the pair have worked together and comes after they had a run-in following the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.

In an exchange in the media pen following a clash on track, Magnussen told his German counterpart to “suck my b***s”.

They’ve since buried the hatchet with a positive relationship now developing between the pair.

“Rubbing, rubbing and tugging and hugging and everything,” Hulkenberg said when asked how he’s getting on with his Danish colleague.

“We actually sort of broke the ice here 12 months ago when I stepped in for Seb [Vettel].

“There was this driver picture on Sunday morning, and we happened to be standing behind each other.

“I thought it was time to break the ice and reached out with a hand and with a smile and put his words into his face.

“That’s where our relationship actually started 12 months ago and ever since it’s actually been pretty good.

“We’ve been hanging out a bit over the winter in the UK doing some marketing and media stuff.

“So far, so good. I feel no type of friction between us.”

It’s a view shared by Magnussen, though perhaps not in quite the same words.

“Well, I don’t understand what it means,” he said of Hulkenberg’s opening remarks.

“The most annoying thing about getting him as a team-mate is being faced with all this stuff about the interview that happened 50 years ago!

“So far it has been very good.

“We’ve both grown up, we have some things in common, we’ve been out of Formula 1 and come back a couple of times.

“We’ve recently become Dads almost at the same time as well, so we’re in sort of the same stage of life, so I guess there’s some common ground.

“But most of all I hope that we can have a very good professional relationship and help the team with the experience we have and the skill and experience we have.”

Hulkenberg was brought in this season primarily because of his experience versus his predecessor, Mick Schumacher.

He worked alongside Magnussen during pre-season testing, though with teams limited to a single car they spent little time together.

When asked by Speedcafe.com if the team was already reaping a benefit of his team-mates arrival, the Dane was circumspect.

“We’ve not been present at the track at the same time hardly yet, because he did the mornings, I did afternoons [during testing], and so most of the time was spent just doing PR stuff,” he said.

“I just learned he’s a nice guy, that’s all I really learned so far.

“We I know that he’s a great driver from seeing him in the past and he is very experienced as well, so I think he’s gonna be great for the team.”

The Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix continues with the first official track action of the season beginning at 14:30 local time (22:30 AEDT) today.