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Nico Hulkenberg set the record straight about his future with Haas after a journalist mistakenly claimed that the F1 driver would be staying with the team in 2025.
The German driver returned to the sport in the 2023 season with the American team after several substitute appearances for the Aston Martin F1 team in the 2020 and 2022 seasons.
Hulkenberg impressed everyone with his performances in the car, especially in qualifying, where he put the car in positions where it didn't belong, such as P2 in the wet conditions in Canada. He had signed a contract extension for the 2024 season.
Alex Harrington of Sports Illustrated informed in a now-deleted post on X that the Haas driver would be staying with the team for 2025, saying (via PlanetF1):
“Nico Hulkenberg has confirmed to me that he has an extended contract with Haas. He will race for them in 2025. Kevin Magnussen is still waiting. They couldn’t give me more details.”
However, Nico Hulkenberg promptly replied to the post and clarified the news, suggesting that it was a joke from his end.
"Don‘t believe everything. Someone took a joke a bit too serious," Hulkenberg wrote.
Haas F1 team owner chimes on their driver lineup for the 2024 season
Gene Haas has said that he is happy with Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen as the team's drivers again for the 2024 season and that they will drive the VF-24 this year.
Speaking about the upcoming season and the livery, the American said (via ESPN):
“I’m looking forward to seeing the VF-24 running and racing – a sentiment I know I share with our partners and indeed the entire team. In Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, we also know we’ve got a great pair of drivers behind the wheel, their experience will prove invaluable again as we develop our program through the year."
"We’ve used the off-season to put the processes in place to be better and ultimately improve our overall performance. Soon we get to see how we’re doing.”
New team principal Ayao Komatsu pointed out last month that they had realistic expectations for the 2024 season and were targeting a P8 finish in the Constructor's Championship.
The Japanese team boss also claimed that they would struggle in the early part of the season to get the desired results and are expected to be the slowest team on the grid but would look to make in-roads after they develop the VF-24.
