Official: Nico Hülkenberg joins Sauber and Audi from 2025

Launched with great fanfare by the departure of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari and intensified a few days ago by the extension of Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin, the transfer window for 2025 and 2026 has seen further progress. A new pawn has indeed been placed on the chessboard since Haas, Sauber and Audi jointly communicated this Friday on the future of Nico Hulkenberg.

Income in F1 at Haas in 2023 after three years of absence, the German will therefore leave the American team at the end of his contract at the end of the season. At the same time, Sauber announced that it had recruited the man who has more than 200 Grands Prix in the premier category from 2025, around a multi-year contract which will make him the first official driver of the Audi team in 2026. As a reminder, the manufacturer with the rings has joined forces with the Swiss team with a view to the new 2026 engine regulations.

“I would like to thank Nico for his contribution to the team since he has been with us – he is an excellent team-oriented driver and someone we really enjoy working with., paid tribute to him Ayao Komatsu, the team principal of the Haas team. His experience and feedback has proven invaluable to us in terms of improving our overall performance – a fact that is clearly evident in his qualifying and race performances behind the wheel of the VF-24 this season. There are still many races to go this year, so we look forward to continuing to benefit from his contributions until the end of the 2024 season. 

*Hülkenberg has been added to the group chat* 💬 💚

We're excited to announce Nico Hülkenberg will join Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber for the 2025 season. pic.twitter.com/1DLNcBBL8j

— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) April 26, 2024

For his part, Sauber boss Andreas Seidl welcomed the identity of his first recruit, who will see a German manufacturer run a German driver. “We are very happy to welcome Nico here to Hinwil from 2025 and to race with him in Formula 1, declared the former team principal of McLaren, current CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG and also CEO of the future Audi F1 factory team. With his speed, experience and commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team – and Audi's F1 project.

Hülkenberg gone, a boulevard for Ollie Bearman at Haas?

If we weren't expecting such a quick announcement, the marriage between Hülk and Audi is not very surprising. The rumors had started to swell in recent weeks. Nationality obviously played a role, but the thirty-year-old's experience and especially his intact speed, particularly in qualifying, already made him an ideal candidate for a team that will have to start almost from scratch in 2026. It is expected that the 36-year-old driver years old, who should therefore drive at least until he is 38, is accompanied by a younger teammate and possibly already a Grand Prix winner to truly lead the team in the long term. The profiles of Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly et Esteban Ocon return with insistence in view of their talent and their possible availability on the market.

Nico Hülkenberg, who made the decision to return to Haas to relaunch himself a year ago, therefore succeeded in his bet by joining the American team in 2023. What a rebound for the man who won GP2 in 2009! Before joining the brand with the rings, the former pilot Renault will therefore have to finish the season with Haas, and above all carry out a transition season at Sauber in a green suit... a shame when your name is Hulk!

The thirty-year-old will simultaneously be on the front line in the development of car 2026 from Audi, which has therefore already recruited one of its two drivers. For its part, Haas has not communicated the identity of his replacement, even if Ollie Bearman's performance in Jeddah with Ferrari and the links between the team and the Briton make him the big favorite. The Englishman will still have to launch his season F2, since he only has two small points after three rounds. Also note that Kevin Magnussen is also coming to the end of his contract in 2024 at Haas.

ALSO READ > Adrian Newey has reportedly decided to leave Red Bull Racing