The spat started on Lap 1 when Magnussen radioed back to Haas about an incident between his team-mate Romain Grosjean and Hulkenberg, claiming it was going to be “a dirty race” if the German was allowed to get away with it.
The stewards disagreed but were called upon again when Magnussen himself came up against the Renault driver, running him wide in Turn Two as they battled for track position.
The Haas driver was handed a five-second time penalty but the ill feeling continued into the drivers’ pen.
In the middle of a TV interview, Magnussen was sarcastically congratulated by Hulkenberg on being “the most unsporting driver on the whole grid” to which the Dane responded with the now-infamous retort.
The incident was widely condemned but Haas team principal Gunther Steiner told Express Sport while such behaviour should not be encouraged, Magnussen’s passion for the sport was at the heart of the incident rather than anything more sinister.
“Drivers showing some emotion and personality is not a bad thing,” Steiner said.
“While we understand not everyone agrees with Kevin’s position or what he had to say after the race, we also understand the circumstances.
“It’s not a regular occurrence, nor do we expect it to become a regular occurrence.
“Kevin is a talented racecar driver who is passionate about what he does and our support of him is unwavering.”
And Steiner appears to have buried the hatchet with Hulkenberg too, appearing on his Instagram story smiling with the Renault man.
“Sucking balls…no thx!” Hulkenberg’s caption read.
“Especially when they’re Danish!
“Gunther and I agree on that.”
