Audi shows interest in Hulkenberg: 'Ultimately didn't materialise'
General
Nico Hulkenberg has spoken to Audi, the Haas F1 driver has revealed in an interview with the German branch of Sky. Audi is said to be interested in the 36-year-old driver's services. Talks are currently no longer ongoing, but the interest still seems to be there.
From 2026, Audi will enter Formula 1. Step by step, the Sauber team (now Alfa Romeo) will be bought out and in 2026 Audi will also supply the engine to the team. Between 2024 and 2025, the team will - as it looks now - go through life as Sauber, but behind the scenes, Audi is already pulling the strings and have a say in contract situations.
Audi would like Hulkenberg in the car as early as 2024. Something not denied by the Dutch-speaking driver. "There were talks. I know Andreas Seidl (CEO of Sauber) very well from the Porsche and Formula 1 era. We get along well, that's no secret. There were talks, there was interest. In the end, it didn't happen."
Door not closed
Hulkenberg signed a contract for next season with his current employer Haas F1. But do Sauber and Audi have a chance to reach a deal again from 2025? "I think next year will be very interesting, and the cards will be shuffled again. A lot will happen in the driver market. It always depends on how good a package you have; how well you can present yourself or not."
He continued: "When Audi finally start in 2026, it remains to be seen whether they will be a top team or not. They will have to prove it first, and they will have to deliver. So there are still some question marks. At the moment, I feel at home here, and everything else is written in the stars."
Audi in Formula 1
Incidentally, rumours emerged last week that Audi's future in Formula 1 is already hanging by a thread, even before the brand has well and truly begun its adventure in the top motorsport class. There were said to be increasing voices on the board to pull the plug on the project after all. This was denied by Audi itself in a statement not much later.