Magnussen, Hulkenberg in feisty post-race exchange

Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg were involved in a sharp exchange in the television pen after an on-track incident during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Having made contact with Romain Grosjean at the start of the race, Hulkenberg had dropped behind Magnussen during the pit stops after suffering a slow stop. Trying to retake 11th position around the outside of Turn 2, Hulkenberg was forced off track on the exit and bounced across the grass, damaging his gearbox and forcing him to retire.

Related Stories

Magnussen was hit with a five-second time penalty and two penalty points for the incident, but Hulkenberg felt the need to approach the former Renault driver in the TV pen after the race.

Tapping Magnussen on the shoulder and ironically holding out his hand to shake, Hulkenberg said: "Once again, the most unsporting driver on the grid."

Magnussen immediately hit back: "Suck my balls, mate."

Hulkenberg continued sarcastically as he walked away: "You're really good mate. Keep doing it, it's great."

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner defended Magnussen after the race, saying Hulkenberg was hypocritical after his contact with Grosjean.

"I sum it up like: Nico was the guy who destroyed Romain's race, and then we get a penalty with Kevin," Steiner said. "Kevin did the right thing and stood his point there, in my opinion. Why would he lift? It's a tough battle? Nico went to the stewards to ask for a harsher penalty for Kevin, which I think is childish, immature... Whoever has done that?

"I'm almost speechless. I respect Nico as a driver and as a human being but what happened there - you don't ask for a more severe penalty for somebody."

On Magnussen's response in the TV pen, Steiner said, "It's the right way to say it.

"Why would he say anything else? He got the penalty, if [Nico] thinks he needs more he needs to look at his Turn 1 incident."

Hulkenberg told NBC that "when it comes to racing," Magnussen is "just nasty.

"Hard defending is fine, but what he does is ruthless in sending people into the wall and what he did there, opening up the steering, making me run wide, it's just [expletive] bull****."  

When Hulkenberg's "unsporting driver" comments were put to Steiner, the Haas team principal added, "Yeah, but after what he did at Turn 1!

"You pick and choose here. Is it sporting to run into Romain? He's a bully and he got away with it for a long time and now maybe it's time someone stood up to him. He's a good driver but he doesn't need to be like this.

"In general, he does his job, he's doing a good job for himself. If other people went down and obey what he's saying, it's fine, I don't think we have to. He's no world champion."