By Joe Murphy
Nico Hulkenberg has been officially confirmed as Audi’s first Formula 1 driver from next season, after the current Haas man revealed he will leave at the end of the current season.
The German has signed a multi-year contract that will see him drive for Sauber from 2025 until around his 40th birthday, after which the team will be taken over by German manufacturer Audi in 2026, with new regulations enforced.
This move now brings into question whether it will be Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu who will leave Sauber in December. Hulkenberg is a veteran of F1 by this point, has previously driven for Sauber, Williams, Force India, Renault, Racing Point and Aston Martin.
Sauber released a statement: “We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula One. With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team and of Audi’s F1 project.”
Does this clear Bottas for a move back to Mercedes or is Guanyu Zhou’s time in F1 about to come to and end? Surely it’s a matter of weeks before we get concrete answers.
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