Hulkenberg has the beating of his team mate again, albeit with Magnussen’s help · RaceFans

The fireworks some predicted when Nico Hulkenberg joined Kevin Magnussen at Haas never materialised.

Instead Hulkenberg, has rebuilt his standing in F1, after being cast aside by Renault five years ago, reliably bagging points for Haas and making them genuine contenders for sixth in the constructors’ championship – maybe even better. His reward was a contract offer from incoming manufacturer team Audi, which to Haas’ disappointment, he accepted.

Magnussen deserves some of the credit for this. Haas have called on him to play the defensive game for his team mate and he has obeyed, sometimes taking it to such an extreme the stewards got involved, as was the case in the sprint race at Miami where he repeatedly left the track while frustrating Lewis Hamilton’s efforts to pass. That, plus a few too many run-ins with his rivals, have left Magnussen with a worryingly high accumulation of penalty points, though he insists that has no bearing on his approach to the remaining races.

They may prove to be his last in F1, as Haas have chosen two new drivers for next year, following Hulkenberg’s decision to join Sauber. That has to be seen as a telling verdict on Magnussen’s efforts, after the praise he won following his 11th-hour return in 2022.

Hulkenberg has retained the upper hand on one-lap pace which was apparent throughout last year. As Haas solved the tyre degradation problems which plagued them last season, Hulkenberg has usually been best-placed to capitalise, occasionally with Magnussen’s help. But if anything the gap between the two has grown this year, and unless Magnussen addresses that over the remaining races, it’s hard to see him getting a chance to continue in F1 somewhere else.

Magnussen vs Hulkenberg: Season summary

Magnussen vs Hulkenberg: Race-by-race

Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Negative value: Magnussen was faster; Positive value: Hulkenberg was faster

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