Celebrations were in full swing in the F1 paddock as Kevin Magnussen marked his 31st birthday in Qatar.
The Haas team orchestrated a heartfelt surprise for the Danish driver, filling their hospitality area with cake and flowers while team members gathered to convey their warm wishes.
However, the most intriguing gift of the day came from Magnussen’s teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, who left everyone in suspense with his unconventional choice.
Amidst the birthday festivities, Hülkenberg presented Magnussen with a small vase of flowers, a touching gesture that hinted at something more unusual.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
As Haas shared a video on social media capturing their team’s birthday wishes for Magnussen, Hülkenberg’s mischievous smile piqued curiosity, leaving spectators wondering about his surprise.
During a press conference leading up to the Qatar Grand Prix, the topic of Magnussen’s birthday gifts came up, and Hülkenberg couldn’t resist sharing a hint of what he had in store.
When asked if he had brought a gift for the occasion, Hülkenberg replied with a playful tone, “Yeah, he got a cake.
“And he’s gonna have another special gift later, a personal one.”
Press conference host Tom Clarkson seized the opportunity to unravel the mystery behind Hülkenberg’s secretive present.
Eager to reveal the surprise, Hülkenberg couldn’t contain himself and promptly disclosed the unorthodox gift, saying, “It’s a toilet brush! I’m sure you don’t want to know the details!”
As laughter filled the press conference room, further questions arose about the choice of such an unusual gift between friends.
Hülkenberg, still grinning, shed some light on his decision, saying, “All I can really say is that you know in the European season, the driver rooms are in the back of trucks.
“We share the toilet and the shower and stuff.
“So that’s all I can say!”
Clarkson, with a wry smile, responded, “We’ll draw our own conclusions!” leaving the audience amused and curious about the friendship dynamics within the F1 community.
In the world of racing, Haas is preparing to unveil an upgraded VF-23 for the upcoming race in Austin, marking a significant development in their season.
Although not a full B-spec version, the car will feature substantial changes to the concept they’ve employed throughout the year.
Heading into their final weekend with the original specification, Hülkenberg expressed optimism about their performance in Qatar while eagerly anticipating the forthcoming upgrades.
He emphasised the importance of these changes, saying, “We’re obviously anticipating those ones.
READ: Lewis Hamilton’s early impressions revealed
“It’s been a long time coming and looking forward to that a lot.
“So this is the last weekend with the old packaging car, so we will try to survive as well as we can.
“And then all eyes on Austin and the rest.”