Haas has confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will miss Thursday’s media day ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix due to illness.

The German driver, who will leave Haas at the end of 2024 to join Sauber, is suffering from a cold, and the team has decided to prioritize his recovery for the remainder of the weekend.

Although Hulkenberg was not scheduled to attend the official press conference, he was expected to participate in a separate media event. However, this has now been cancelled as a precautionary measure.

Haas emphasized that this decision was made to ensure Hulkenberg's well-being in preparation for the race weekend.

"Nico will be missing media day due to a cold, therefore he has no availability for today," read the team’s statement.

"This is purely a preventative measure ahead of the weekend."

As a result, only Kevin Magnussen will represent the team in media interactions. He will not attend the press conference either but will speak to the media outside the press room, providing updates and insights on behalf of Haas.