Nico Hulkenberg is in the process of "ruining" Kevin Magnussen’s Formula 1 career.
That is the view of former F1 driver Marc Surer, referring to the way in which 35-year-old Hulkenberg has dominated Haas incumbent Magnussen in 2023.
"Magnussen ruined Mick Schumacher’s F1 career and now Hulkenberg is ruining Magnussen’s career," the Swiss told formel1.de.
"I expected Magnussen to be at Hulkenberg’s level, and he’s doing that in the race but not in qualifying. Obviously, Hulkenberg has a natural talent.
"Kevin is a good driver, no doubt, but he lacks something extraordinary, and I don’t think it’s motivation. Although if the car is not progressing, as seems to be the case, it is quite problematic to stay fully motivated," Surer added.
German Hulkenberg returned to F1 this year after a three-year full-time break in his career, and he has been outspoken about Haas’ car problems lately.
"We keep fighting, we keep working," he tells Speed Week. "When I signed and started here, I knew it wasn’t going to be all sunny days."
But he says the whole team is in the same boat as him.
"We’ve known for a few months now that our problems on Sunday are just too big at the moment to meet expectations within the team," the German admits.
"But I still enjoy it. I’m still really enjoying being back and all the positives outweigh the issues we’re having."