Nico Hulkenberg says his perception of Sauber will change if it becomes Audi from next season, and he hopes to use his experience to accelerate the team’s development.
Sauber have been a mid-table team for much of F1’s history, and apart from a sixth place in 2022, they have not finished higher than eighth in the constructors’ championship since 2013. It will become Audi’s works team next year following its acquisition by the German car brand, and Hulkenberg said it would bring a lot of attention, even if the team doesn’t expect much change.
“For sure, the perception will change,” Hulkenberg told RACER. “Being a manufacturer and of course being Audi, I think there will be more attention on us and more expectations, but we have to be realistic.
“I don’t expect to win races from the start. We are at the beginning of a long journey. I think this is a process and the top teams still have a big advantage in terms of infrastructure, factories and so on. But we are pushing.
“We hope to catch up, but certainly as a manufacturer, our expectations for next year will be a little different.”
Hulkenberg, 38, is one of the most experienced drivers in the sport, having raced for Sauber as well as Williams, Force India, Renault, Aston Martin and Haas, and will rely on his knowledge to drive Audi forward.
“I hope (the experience) helps,” he said. “As a driver, of course you are expected to race hard, drive fast and deliver results and performance, but you can also contribute in other ways. Of course, technically, as the regulations change, there are a lot of new things to learn to be quick-thinking. I hope to be able to contribute to learning even faster next year.”
“I think it’s a combination of things. Obviously experience helps. You just have more knowledge: different regulations, different cars, how things worked in different eras.”
“But it’s a combination of what you feel, and obviously what the data measures, and what the engineers see. It’s always just a work in progress. You drive it, you change it, you test it, you get results, you get answers, and you keep going like this, building the image, building the knowledge.”
Whatever 2026 looks like, Hulkenberg admitted he feels really proud to be representing a major German manufacturer team in F1 at this stage of his career.
“It’s cool,” he said. “I think it’s definitely an opportunity in a driver’s career. It’s clearly in the past for other drivers, but for me, coming back with Haas in 2023 and getting that factory drive at Audi is pretty crazy considering how things have evolved from there. I’m very proud and happy to be a part of that and still be active after 15 years in the industry.”
