Nico Hulkenberg says he was unaware of Kevin Magnussen’s deliberate ‘go slow’ tactics that protected the German driver’s top ten finish in last weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP, insisting he’ll “return the favor” to his Haas teammate in the future.
The race took an unexpected turn with an early safety car deployment. Hulkenberg, along with several others, opted to stay out on track while the frontrunners pitted for fresh tyres.
This gamble initially seemed risky, especially when a second safety car, which would have benefitted those on older tyres, never materialized. Also, Hulkenberg would eventually need a pit stop himself, potentially dropping him out of points contention.
However, when Magnussen’s race was virtually ruined by an early 10-second penalty for a clash with Williams’ Alex Albon, the Haas strategists turned that setback into an opportunity for Hulkenberg.
The Dane deliberately overtook RB’s Yuki Tsunoda off-track, a move that predictably yielded a second 10-second penalty. But the audacious pass gave Magnussen track position over the Japanese driver and a string of cars that followed.
He then strategically reduced the pace to allow Hulkenberg to sail off into the distance and create a vital buffer that would later give the German a free pitstop and protect his tenth-place finish.
©Haas
Magnussen's tactics, despite the anger they generated with Haas’ rivals, proved instrumental in securing Haas' first point.
"One point, I'm obviously happy about that," Hulkenberg said. "Great team effort, great team game by Kevin.
"I was told that he really helped my case by holding up the pack behind him, which obviously helped open up the window for me to take the point.
"A very good job from him on that side. And thank you, I'll return the favour later in the season."
Hulkenberg admitted that he was not made aware of his teammate’s antics.
"No, no, I didn't [know]. I was told that the gap opened up, but I wasn't aware why. I just thought: 'I am so good that I fly away from the pack!'," he laughed.
"For the most part I was by myself, just driving, pushing. There was no tyre saving going on, it was flat out, so quite physical. But I enjoyed it."
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