Nico Hulkenberg received a heart-warming message from Haas boss Guenther Steiner, but the team principal couldn’t resist joking that the driver’s new blonde hair was “a sign of a mid-life crisis”.
Currently Germany’s only driver in Formula 1, Hulkenberg has enjoyed his return to the series with Haas. This is his tenth full-time season following two years as a reserve driver with Racing Point and Aston Martin. Despite only scoring two points-finishes this campaign, Hulkenberg sits comfortably ahead of his team-mate in 14th in the drivers’ championship.
In a recent move that took the paddock by surprise, Hulkenberg showed off his new blonde bombshell haircut at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He joked that it was a reference to the recently released Barbie film, before admitting it was just a coincidence.
While celebrating his 36th birthday on August 19, the official Haas account on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted a video which showed team principal Guenther Steiner, reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi and team-mate Kevin Magnussen all wishing him well.
However, in typical Steiner fashion, the Italian-American manager had to poke fun at Hulkenberg’s new look.
“I can see that when you started to dye your hair, you know that’s a sign of mid-life crisis.
“I’ll see you on the track, and I hope you can keep your performance up like you had up to now because we really appreciate what you do for the team. Thank you Nico, and Happy Birthday!”