The 2023 F1 season is finally upon us and it is only a matter of hours before we hear “its lights out and away we go!”. Before that happens, the excitement quotient is running high with the grid going through a major shake-up. Amidst those behind the cause is Haas. Courtesy of their newest addition to the team, Nico Hulkenberg, or should we call him by the nickname fans gave him for his multiple comeback stints, Hulkenback, immediately put all doubts to rest as he blazed past his way to Q3 in Bahrain on Saturday. Meanwhile, his teammate Kevin Magnussen could only manage P17. The American team had the best way to celebrate the achievement, posting a picture of Nico posing with a bag of Chipotle, a major sponsor.
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After showing Mick Schumacher the door and bringing in Hulkenberg, Haas was under immense pressure to justify the move. That was because Mick showed signs of improvement towards the latter stages of the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg hadn’t raced as a regular for years. That saw him endure some trolling on the internet as well, a criticism that was completely uncalled for.
Fans celebrate a great comeback for Nico Hulkenberg
Before the start of the season, Haas announced their new sponsorship deal with $41.3 billion worth (as per Macrotrends) fast-food giant, Chipotle. The announcement came in with a hilarious photo of Hulkenberg and Magnussen posing with Chipotle’s brown paper bags while donning their racing suits.
This time around, it was just Nico posing with the Chipotle bag, which simply read “Q3”. Fans found the brand placement hilarious and also praised “the Hulk” for his grand comeback. Have a look at some reactions from Twitter.
Not super sub super man hulk
I hereby want to give my sincirest apology to Mr. Nico Hulkenberg for not letting the man cook
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Some fans praised Haas and Hulkenberg for overcoming the heavy trolling they endured since the announcement of his joining the team.
Hulk's performance in the quali is a replication of KMag's performance in last year's quali. Let's hope KMag isn't left behind
Q3 delivered ✅ The Hulk is Hungry! #HaasF1 #BahrainGP #Quali
Despite being in the sport for so long and showing immaculate consistency, Nico has never had a podium finish. One fan felt this was the year that would finally change.
Some fans praised Haas for the perfect brand placement.
Haas winning the social media championship yet again
Q3 delivered ✅ The Hulk is Hungry! #HaasF1 #BahrainGP #Quali
Some fans have some really high expectations for the Hulk for the season’s first race on Sunday. Honestly, a P6 finish isn’t too ludicrous a target to set, but he will have to fight off the pressure from the best of the best for that to happen.
He's delivering P6 tomorrow 👍
Q3 delivered ✅ The Hulk is Hungry! #HaasF1 #BahrainGP #Quali
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Where do you think Hulkenback will finish on Sunday? What are your other predictions for the race? Do let us know in the comments.