Nico Hulkenberg Offers Insight Into Development Progress At Sauber Ahead Of Audi Takeover

Saajan Jogia | Feb 18, 2025

Nico Hulkenberg, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber; 2024 Post Season Test, Formula One World Championship / Andy Hone | Press Stake F1 Team

Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg has shared insights into the developments happening within the team following a challenging 2024 season. He explained that the team has been pushing hard over the winter break, as it anticipates a difficult starting point to build from in the upcoming season. The progress made in 2025 will be crucial, as Audi takes full control of the team in 2026.

The German driver has taken up a lead driver role at Sauber after two seasons with Haas. Sauber finished last in the 2024 Constructors' Championship with only four points that Zhou Guanyu managed to secure towards the end of the season. One big reason for the underperformance was attributed to the lack of concrete development on the C44 F1 car and an unstable top management that stabilized following the hiring of Mattia Binotto as the team's CEO and CTO after the summer break.

With an updated driver lineup featuring Hulkenberg and Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber has a long way ahead in the developmental race in the last year of the complex ground effect era. Speaking to Sports Illustrated and other select media at the F175 event at London's O2 Arena, Hulkenberg was asked about the scale of work done so far at Sauber that will take shape over the next year before Audi's arrival. He told the media:

"I think, our target is to be competitive and to obviously score as many points as possible, but you always have to remember, where we came from last year. So it's a difficult kind of starting point.

"The team and us, we've been pushing over the winter, but right now we can obviously only speculate where we are, where everybody else is. But for us, the motto is head down, just push hard, work hard, and maximize everything on and off track, and go for the opportunities when they come.

"It's obviously a long road ahead. It's the process started now and behind the scenes, obviously many things are already ongoing, with respect to next year, which is a big thing and exciting, especially for myself being German with a German manufacturer and works team. A lot of things to look forward to."

Hulkenberg will play an important role in establishing the groundwork for Audi’s future success as one of the team’s first drivers. This season, he will also take on the responsibility of mentoring his rookie teammate Bortoleto, helping him adapt to F1 machinery and accelerate his development.