Switch from Sauber to Audi will raise expectations, but 'we have to be realistic' - Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg says the perception of Sauber will change when it becomes Audi next season, and hopes to use his experience to help speed up the team’s development.

Sauber has been a midfield team through the majority of its Formula 1 history, and aside from a sixth place in 2022, has not finished higher than eighth in the constructors’ championship since 2013. Next year it will become the Audi works team following a takeover by the German car brand, and Hulkenberg says that will lead to a lot more attention even if the team cannot expect to make a step change.

“The perception will change, for sure,” Hulkenberg told RACER. “I think being a manufacturer and being Audi of course, there's going to be a lot more eyes on us, a lot more expectations, but we need to be realistic.

“I don't expect that we'll come and be winning races from the get-go, we're at the beginning of a long journey. It's a process and the top teams still have, I think, a big advantage in terms of infrastructure and in terms of factories and all that kind of things. But we're pushing.

“I hope we're catching up, but for sure, being a manufacturer, the expectations will be a little bit different next year.”

At 38, Hulkenberg is one of the more experienced drivers in the sport and has raced for Williams, Force India, Renault, Aston Martin and Haas as well as Sauber, so is leaning on his own knowledge to help push Audi forward.

“I hope [experience] does [help]," he said. "As a driver, obviously you're supposed to race hard, to drive fast, to bring results and performance, but you can also contribute in other ways. Obviously the technical side, when regulations change, there's a lot of new things to learn, to get your head around. I hope I can contribute to a faster learning next year.

“I think it’s down to a blend of things. Obviously experience helps, different regulations, different cars – you just have a bigger wealth of knowledge, how things worked in different eras.

“But then it's a blend of what you feel, then obviously what the data measures, what the engineers see. It's just a work in progress constantly, you drive, you change things, you test things, you get results, you get answers and you keep going like this and build the picture and build the knowledge.”

However 2026 shapes up, Hulkenberg admits there’s a real sense of pride for him to be able to represent a major German manufacturer team in F1 at this stage of his career. 

“It's cool," he said. "It's definitely an opportunity that I think doesn't come around that often in a driver's career. It has obviously in the past for other drivers, but for me, coming back in 2023 with Haas and then how things evolved from there, it's a pretty crazy story to land that factory drive with Audi – to be part of it and to be still kicking around after 15 years in the industry. So I’m just very proud and happy about that.”