Nico Hülkenberg is eagerly anticipating next year when Audi officially takes over the reins of Sauber’s Formula 1 team. The German driver has been racing in Formula 1 since 2010, but is still waiting for his first podium finish. Will it finally happen with Audi at the helm? “It’s impossible to predict anything,” says Nico Hülkenberg.
Nico Hülkenberg returned as a full-time driver in Formula 1 in 2023. The German was asked by the Haas team to join alongside Kevin Magnussen, after the team bid farewell to Mick Schumacher. This marked a new chapter in Hülkenberg’s Formula 1 career, which has seen him intermittently on the grid since 2010. The driver is currently with the Sauber team, which will be taken over by Audi in 2026. That same year, a new set of regulations will come into effect, and Hülkenberg is already looking forward to this ‘fresh start’.
‘Fresh Start’
“It’s such a reset and a blank slate that everyone starts with next year. It’s impossible to predict anything,” Hülkenberg anticipates in an interview with Formula1.com. Particularly, Audi’s performance for 2026 remains a ‘big question mark’, according to the German driver. “The big four teams have an advantage in terms of infrastructure and all these kinds of things. But it’s a good opportunity for us, because it’s a reset, it’s a fresh start for everyone with these new rules.”
“It’s incredibly exciting. We have to work hard and focused and hopefully, we will come out on the right side,” concludes the German driver. Both Hülkenberg and teammate and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto have contracts until the end of 2026, which means the drivers will witness Audi’s takeover up close.
