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Nico Hulkenberg said he felt respected after being contacted by Audi CEO Gernot Doellner regarding recent management changes in the team. The German driver will soon join Sauber for the 2025 season onward, with it converting into the Audi team in 2026.
In 2022, Audi had announced that it would enter F1 in 2026, when the FIA will bring major technical regulation changes including new power unit rules. The German giant decided to acquire Sauber and merge with it gradually. In the process, it made major changes to the management and the driver lineup.
In May 2024, Sauber announced that it had hired Nico Hulkenberg for 2025 and beyond, for when Audi will arrive on the grid. Following that, it shuffled personnel around on the management level including removing former Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and also Audi technical officer Oliver Hoffmann. The team then brought in former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto as its Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the $10,000,000-worth (according to Celebrity Net Worth) Hulkenberg shared that amid the senior personnel changes, Audi's CEO called him and explained how and why they were taking place.
"I don't know about important, but I think it's certainly nice. It shows respect and shows how serious he and the brand are about it and that they're not taking this lightly, that they paying attention. They do see what's happening, what's going on and that was good. Very good," Nico Hulkenberg said.
This will be the German driver's first F1 stint with a major compatriot automotive giant.
Nico Hulkenberg talks about the pressure he will face in Audi
Nico Hulkenberg will move to Sauber in 2025 and will continue on the team after it converts into Audi in 2026. In the aforementioned interview, he explained that he is well aware of the pressure he could feel as a German driving for his home country's company in the sport.
"It is a big challenge, no question about that. Going to what will be Audi, what will be a German manufacturer, German driver, a lot of attention, a lot of expectation - it's not going to be an easy one," Nico Hulkenberg said.
"But my approach to my work and the definition isn't changing. I'm going to go there with everything I have and then try to contribute in and out of the car as much as I can. That's what I love doing and hopefully, collectively, we can make it a success," he added.
As of now, Hulkenberg drives for the Haas F1 team and is 11th in the Drivers' Championship with 22 points.
