Powerful Audi rumble causes stir in Formula 1
**In the future team of Audi is buzzing. The personnel changes at Sauber's leadership are also a topic in Spa. Nico Hülkenberg remains unfazed. The 36-year-old is somewhat like the future of Audi.
Nico Hülkenberg was caught off guard. "That was obviously a small wave, a small shock," said the German, as it also concerns his own future. From 2026, he will drive an Audi in Formula 1 - the soon-to-be team currently generates headlines off the track. The leadership was replaced, Mattia Binotto was hired: This turbulence is a big topic among the drivers of Spa.
Hülkenberg himself was only informed of the decision on the day it was made, he said, the departure of the previous bosses was "a bit sad" and "an unexpected change." At the traditional racing team Sauber, which will be called Audi from 2026, CEO Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, had to leave. Binotto, who has been with Ferrari for a long time, took over the reins from August 1st. This was known since Tuesday.
Hülkenberg remains unconcerned. The 36-year-old is somewhat like the future of Audi: He will switch from Haas to Sauber next year and shape the transformation there. The entry of the German manufacturer still holds great potential, "I remain positive," Hülkenberg said.
"We are not really super stable"
Those responsible for Sauber in the present are choosing critical tones before the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, 15 hours/Sky, RTL and live on ntv.de. "We are not really super stable, as it seems, because many people have left and many have come," said Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas: "And now there's another change in leadership, which certainly isn't helpful." In fact, the Swiss racing team is in crisis. No points have been scored in 13 of the 24 races this season.
Zhou Guanyu is also unenthusiastic. The Audi project is "exciting," he said, but he feels that "it's not really focusing on the current situation." Both contracts of him and his teammate expire at the end of the year. "Hopefully things will be more stable from now on and there will be a clear direction," Bottas said.
Binotto's arrival is still being searched for a teammate for Hülkenberg in 2025. Whether Binotto's arrival has an immediate effect remains to be seen. The pursued Carlos Sainz - lured from Ferrari in 2021 - emphasized that "not much has really changed." Hülkenberg, however, will definitely be there. He believes in a successful transformation, in "positive impulses" - and sometimes it can go quickly in Formula 1: "It's just a narrow gap between Hero and Zero." For a successful story with Audi, it's not too late.
Nico Hülkenberg will officially join Audi in Formula 1 from 2026, as Audi's new team in the sport generates headlines off the track due to personnel changes. Binotto's arrival as Audi's new leader from August 1st has caused some turbulence among the drivers, including Sauber's Valtteri Bottas, who mentioned that it's not helping the team's current instability.
Despite the ongoing crisis at Sauber and the unfamiliar environment, Hülkenberg remains optimistic about his role in shaping Audi's transformation in Formula 1, believing in "positive impulses" that could lead to a successful story with the German manufacturer.
