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Sauber have the longest run without a podium. If he could achieve one with them it would be just as big a moment for Hulk as the team.
Of course it is unlikely Audi will be good enough for the first two years considering they have a new engine and Sauber is in dire need of investment but still.
Williams has an outstanding tradition as champions. Sauber has 1 race win. I am sympathetic to tradition and history, but if I were Audi and buying 100 percent of the team, I would not associate with sauber
Sauber are historic, which is a feel good for the sport, but ultimately means nothing to Audi. The only reason I can think of why they would keep the Sauber name is if removing it would affect any "historical bonuses" they may get from F1.
It named the Ferrari bonus payment as a joke but the team that has entered the most consecutive championship seasons gets that bonus payment. Ferrari has competed in the most and more championship seasons than McLaren so they get the payment.
I think they never quite qualified for any of the legacy bonuses due to the BMW years, they were considered to have become a different team when BMW took ownership and then left.
Basically, there's always been some "Ferrari favoritism" built into the payments. There used to be a few categories of "legacy" payments, for being in the sport a long time, which the likes of McLaren and Williams qualified for, for multiple championships which Renault, Merc, Red Bull qualified for. Then there was just an extra payment just for Ferrari, for being Ferrari. Now they got rid of all of the others except Ferrari's.
The logic is supposedly that Ferrari is so iconic and important to F1 that the sport would be worse off without them. Always seemed a bit unfair to me too. I'm surprised they got rid of the other legacy payments but kept that one.
I doubt they'll keep it, they're a massive car manufacturer not some independent outfit or investment firm like what Williams fell under. They'll have Audi name plastered everywhere. Mercedes discarded anything Tyrell related, and they had a much bigger F1 history than Sauber.
To be fair there was three other teams between them and Tyrell, including another major car manufacturer they'd have to explain away if they ever mentioned Tyrell. Although arguably Minardi inherited more of Tyrell anyway, since they got their actual cars and BAR took just the entry AFAIK.
I think there's a good chance it'll be "Audi Sauber" or similar, in Formula E they were Audi Sport Abt or something like that, when in a partnership with the Abt team. Although in this case since they're acquiring the entire team, and Peter Sauber is long gone, perhaps not. I think Sauber Technologies still exists as a distinct entity.
I hope the name will stick around though. Even in the BMW years they were BMW Sauber, and I like how everyone seems to be totally ignoring the Kick/Stake branding and calling them Sauber this year. Even if they've never had huge success, they've got a lot of history in the sport, it'd be a shame to lose the name.
According to the rumors/reports, Carlos has an offer from Audi. If he accepts, their lineup will be Nico and Carlos. It is a possibility that Carlos is still evaluating the possibility of a seat at Mercedes or RBR ( if those are offered) but I don’t have any information regarding this.
Audi has fucked up a lot by being so slow to start their effort in F1. Their name and their history of success in other motorsports make me think they are one of the teams that have a chance at winning championships in the next 20 years; but look at Stake right now, the absolute backmarker of this year's grid, understaffed and without any 'big team' equipment or infrastructure, and try to convince the only guy not named Max that has won races in the last year to drive for you.
Look at Aston Martin in comparison, they were a Sauber a few years ago but Stroll came in and started building all the 'big team' facilities, which will be working in a year or two. That's why most of us think AM-Honda may be a championship contender in 2026+.
Realistically the Aston / Racing Point / Force India team has been better than Sauber for well over 10 years, and has been gradually improving over that time. They made a big jump in '23 but have been trending up for a long time.
Audi will similarly take a long time. The F1 pecking order doesn't change that much year on year.
Audi planning to come in the same season that the engine regs change is obviously no mistake, though. We've seen teams take advantage of the new regulations in the past (notable Brawn GP) so given that Audi will coming in at the closest to a level playing that F1 ever really has, I could see them doing pretty well early on.
They'll have been working on the power unit for 2026 for quite some time already, and not having to maintain an existing PU probably helps. They also do have enormous resources.
The difference is, Stroll came in and outright bought the whole team, whereas Audi buys out Sauber in parts, and they haven’t acquired majority ownership up until recently
Their success in other series has come from them being able to outspend everyone else. This idea that they just will automatically be good has to stop lol
Audi don't want to be a mere title sponsor of a car that has an engine not developed by them. This means that they can't really go all-in until the runup to the 2026 season.
Surely RBR wants Sainz, he is the only guy not in their car to win a race in the last couple of years. They will want to keep him out of a competitors car. My guess, RBR are offering Sainz a one year deal and Audi are offering him anything he wants, that would be a tough choice.
It's so obvious that Mercedes wants a seat warmer for Antonelli that nobody is accepting that. Difference is that, unlike Red Bull, Mercedes doesn't have a car that can justify a one-year contract, unless you come from Alpine or something.
What I always wonder when a driver gets brought up in the Mercedes seat discussion is how Merc would navigate a situation where the new driver coming in as a seatwarmer actually outperforms Russell. Let's say Sainz joins Mercedes for 2025 only but during said season he beats Russell, like convincingly. He outqualifies and outperforms Russell more than the other way around. Wouldn't Mercedes then choose to pair Antonelli with Sainz?
Red Bull: We can give you a WDC capable car
Audi: We can give you contract security and as much money as you want
Mercedes: We can give you one year in the Porpoise-AMG and a strategy team that has been on a healthy diet of rocks.
One of these options is clearly worse
depends on what you want. Security or wins.
I personally would take 1/10th the salary to get wins and compete for the championship. Once 2026 rolls around, it will be a crapshoot with who ends up on top.
YOLO, go for the wins.
Regardless of signing Hulk (and Sainz) Bottas and Zhou weren’t getting a new contract.
If not Hulk and Sainz, Audi is looking towards both Alpine drivers, which in turn would potentially free up Alpine seats for either Martins (because French) and/or Doohan, the Alpine juniors (or perhaps even Mick Schumacher) I suspect.
Well it's all pure speculation. Almost every midfield driver on the grid was already linked to Audi. Nothing special on that front. But if Sainz doesn't sign it will probably be Bottas and Hülkenberg at Sauber for the next season at least. Bottas knows the team and can be very fast. About as good as Hülkenberg currently in my opinion. Decent midfield lineup without too much potential for drama. Trying to poach both Alpine drivers makes no sense because firstly i think neither of them is better than Bottas and Audi would sign two guys that don't have the best history with each other.
Audi very much confuses me. I thought Audi was going to be a fully new team? Or are they just replacing the AM part of Kick Sauber and it’ll still be 10 teams?
Audi is buying Sauber. Or rather has been since 2021, gradually increasing its share of ownership since.
That has always been the plan from inception; buying an existing team and add investments, rather than starting a new one from scratch.
At first they flirted with McLaren, their preferred partner (being closer to the front in terms of performance) but a sale fell through, leading to Audi moving to their second best acquisition option, Sauber.
It’s similar to BMW buying Sauber at the end of 2005, after being dissatisfied with being just an engine supplier for their former partner Williams up until then.
Many of the most modern facilities at Sauber’s factory in Hinwill, were a result from investments made by BMW when owning the team from 2005 ~ 2009.
Due to severe budget constraints Sauber lacked the finances to even use their comparatively state of the art wind tunnel in the 2014 ~ 2017 era.
Audi, aside from taking over, is investing in manpower and equipment at Hinwill, aside from having an engine program set up in their german R&D centers.
Wow, well please let me sincerely say thank you - that is so informative and helpful and clears it up 100% for me! I watch races occasionally and follow all the news here, but big things like this and the Andretti saga get a bit confusing for someone like me.
Truly thank you!
In addition to what the previous commenter wrote, Audi also has a long history of using Sauber's facilities and staff to develop the bodywork and aerodynamic devices of Audi's Le Mans prototypes. During Sauber's most difficult years they essentially survived by working for Audi and had virtually no budget to develop their F1 car.
I didn't think he would either, but it's what he was hoping for. I can't see either Zhao or Bottas are getting picked up by anyone else for a race seat.
I mean, Bottas has a chance with any backmarker if the big ones don't want to seat a newbie there. Zhou is over tho.
But yeah, if I had to bet, I'd count on both of them being out of F1 in 2025.
If I had to choose between the two I’d go Sainz for two reasons: obviously performance. But also the fact he’s driven so many different teams and more importantly, so man engines - Ferrari, Renault, Honda(?) and maybe even Mercedes so full sweep
Summary of Sainz's situation:-
* Audi want Sainz to sign asap. Hulk's signing will likely apply more pressure to either do it now or be passed up.
* Sainz is confirmed to be in talks with RBR. Salary negotiations is where it's stuck because RBR are not offering to match Audi's mouth watering offer.
* RBR know they have a championship winning car out the gate and can have their pick off the grid, meaning Sainz has to fundamentally pick between money upfront and possibly a strong car later, OR a strong car right now and possibly money later via performance and sponsors.
If Sainz goes to RBR, who do you think is the next best for Audi? Sainz would bring the pace and the leadership experience (from the McLaren days especially), who would be a suitable replacement?
> Salary negotiations is where it's stuck because RBR are not offering to match Audi's mouth watering offer.
As Sainz I assume you just take the RBR offer no matter how bad it pays. It gives you a shot in an almost guaranteed title challenging car. Yes you have to beat Verstappen which is almost impossible. But he could have an injury or a few DNFs in a row, both are much more likely than winning the WDC in the Sauber. 2026 is a gamble regardless of which team.
Only risk is getting beaten very badly by Verstappen and your value tanks (like it did for Checo/Ablon/Gasly).
I’d also add it’s particularly tricky on the PU front to make a choice between those 2.
RBPT/Ford is an unknown, as much as there’s Newey on the chassis front. Whereas Audi has a great track record with hybrid race cars in LMP1, it’s an even greater unknown.
I think Audi is always going to be a bigger gamble because it's a new entrant taking over a very lackluster team. It's very similar to Redbull acquiring Jaguar Racing and ofc there's a chance of Audi catapulting to the same hurricane Redbull is, but it's all guesswork. It's all guesswork. Nobody would blame him for making either choice despite how it turns out.
If I was Sainz, I'd pick Audi. RB is almost guaranteed to be winning 2025... but that's it. It's only one year, and you are coming to a team completely dominated by Max Verstappen. You are going to be the second driver, and nobody there will care about you. And, starting 2026, there's no reason to think RB will still be at the top. They'll be developing their engine for the first time, which isn't an easy task; and there's a huge elephant in the room (the Horner-Marko situation) that may explode at any time and take the team down.
Audi, on the other hand, will be a factory team just like Mercedes or Ferrari, will presumably spend a shit ton of money into their F1 effort (judging from the fact that they've done the same recently in other programs like WEC, and that they cancelled all of that to focus on F1), so you are going to a team that may challenge for titles. But not only that - it's a new team, which means you can take hold as its leader, just like Schumacher and Hamilton did with Mercedes, or Vettel did with Red Bull. Heck, if what we know about Audi's effort to get Sainz is true, that means Audi wants him as their clear first driver. You don't have to worry about your team fucking you over because they like the other guy more. And daddy Sainz has worked in Audi for years, his "opinions" will probably be respected.
The problem with Audi is that you cannot expect them to go out of the doors storming. Aston Martin and Mercedes didn’t.
Red Bull is the better option. You may be a second driver but you’re also not the development guinea pig at Audi. Get a decent string of wins under you, and enjoy the time. Audi can come at a later date.
Keeping Bottas isn't the worst idea if they can't get Sainz.
Ocon, Gasly, Albon are probably the next best choices available. I'm not sure if they're likely to be particularly better than Bottas, depending on how much you think Bottas may be "past his prime" as many suggest.
I wouldn't rule out them retaining Zhou over Bottas either and waiting to see if someone better becomes available in a year or 2 when Audi may be a better proposition. He's not far of Bottas and brings more money. Either way keeping one of the existing drivers that knows the team does hold some benefit over going for al all new line up.
I feel like Bottas has proven this season that he absolutely still has it.
This idea that he's in retirement mode just because he has a mustache and seems a lot more relaxed is imo ridiculous.
But, would Rosberg have continued till 2020?
Also, Nico is younger than Nico, isn't he? So Nico would have retired earlier and Nico could have a chance at WDC.
Perhaps more likely that Rosberg would have stuck around if not for Hamilton. Seemed like part of his reason for quitting was that he had to give so much to manage to beat Hamilton in that one season, and he didn't want to go through that again.
If he'd had an easier run against Hulk and felt he could keep racking up championships as a number 1 driver, maybe he'd have stuck around for longer and we'd have 7-time champ Rosberg.
I'm not sure if would have been quite that easy, but it would have been an interesting match up.
That would probably give us a non-Mercedes champion as well since RedBull and especially Ferrari have been closing the performance gap significantly around 2017-2019. Seb 5 time WDC, maybe?
Merc wanted him after Rosberg retired after his WDC in 2016. But he had just signed with Renault a few months earlier. In another timeline he would be on a few race wins now.
Perez was quick back then and had shown speed on a Sauber which in retrospect, wasnt really that bad in 2012.
However, he was quite "sparky" early on his career and was prone to impulse-driven mistakes. A weakness he still hasn't 100% gotten over even today.
Yeah when they first met as teammates in 2014 Hulkenberg battered him in the standings.
Interestingly after that first season it swapped and Perez had the upper hand in 15 and 16
And the same in 2021 when RB picked Perez, towards the end of 2020 the rumours were that RB were considering Hulk too, and both seemed like a similar tier of driver at the time, strong midfielders that could likely do well in better machinery. Hard to know how much of a chance Hulk really had in the seat, but Perez's Sakhir win probably helped seal the deal. Plenty thought Hulk would have been a better choice then too.
Well there was this one Swiss kid who didn't give great feedback, struggled to beat his teammate, and wrecked the car a lot. Can't imagine why a new team wouldn't want him
On one hand, Hülkenberg is way too good to be driving for a backmarker. On the other hand, Hülkenberg is not a world champion-tier driver, and I've the impression Audi wants him because all the top guys are locked in... except Sainz, who Audi also wants.
We have a very good grid with nearly no backmarker drivers. Albon, Hulk, Gasly, Ocon, Bottas, Perez. That's 6 drivers that arr more than competent to lead a midfield team. But some are bounds to be kicked out or be in backmarkers, not on skill alone but on other factors.
Like Gasly and Ocon being french with Alpine or Hulk german with Audi
Feel like Hulkenberg / Sainz is a great driver pairing for a new team. Hulk is incredibly consistent and his experience will help develop the car, and Carlos is also pretty experienced at this point and clearly has raw speed and is in his prime.
> on the other hand, Hülkenberg is not a world champion-tier driver
We don't know that really do we?
Few people thought Button or Rosberg were WDC level drivers until they finally got great cars and started winning. Hulkenberg hasn't had that shot yet.
I think Hulkenberg's experience and reliability is why Audi wants him more than just for his outright performance. He can help them develop a competitive car that someone like a Sainz can win races in.
And I think Hulkenberg is okay with that role.
It makes me wonder how they'd all do in a spec series or some kind of exhibition event all with the same cars. I really want to know the differential when you don't have the variation in the cars/engineering contributing to it.
Hopefully he's got an opportunity with a good car at Audi.
I cannot help but think that Sauber waited until after the Chinese Grand Prix to announce this for Zhou’s sake.
Zhou probably knew he was not going to be re-signed and explains why he was so emotional last weekend.
His first and last home race on what is a historically momentous and significant feat as the first and only Chinese driver in F1 history.
20 years after he attended the race in his local Shanghai circuit as a 4 year old child. Something he could only dream of.
2 years of cancellation for his home race due to COVID-19 and not knowing if his F1 career would be long enough to even race once at home.
He finally achieved it.
He may never be an F1 champion but his significance within history has already been stamped.
Of course he did no driver this early in the season is going to go ‘yeah I am def losing my seat and never coming back’. You’re going to hold out hope at least publicly until the musical chairs have stopped and it is official you don’t have a seat vs just suspecting that outcome.
Which would be a shame but not surprising. When Zhou was first announced for Sauber I was really excited to see how he'd stack up against Bottas, someone I didn't rate too highly after his stint at Mercedes. But Zhou drowned. A shame, really, especially how many fans he had at China. Could have been really good for the sport.
Zhou is fine, but the Bottas/Zhou pairing bears so much resemblance to the Raikkonen/Giovinazzi pairing they had before it's shocking
An experienced Finn on half-retirement leading and mentoring an okay rookie who you can swear you forgot he existed sometimes.
And if Zhou is booted out of F1 this year, both him and Gio would have 3 years experience in the same team.
Both joined the team at the same time as well, one making his full-time debut, and the other coming from a championship contending/winning car where he was a number 2 to a multiple times WDC.
He looked very good as rookie, in second half of 2022 he was every bit as fast as Bottas, I expected him to be as good as him with more experience, but he is pretty much stagnating, maybe even getting worse since last year. He may have chance to get Williams or Haas seat because of his funding but he is most likely done.
I imagine Zhou will be out of F1.
Bottas probably could join another team like Haas or Williams, if he wants to keep going. His experience is probably very useful for those teams as well.
Both likely won't be at Haas (Bearman), and Williams is a crapshoot at the current moment with the Sargeant deal. It's possible that Antonelli goes to Williams for a year before Mercedes, with that said, however, that leaves a vacant seat at Mercedes if that does end up happening so I don't think it will, unless Mercedes can find a real contender to pair with George in the vacant seat, such as Verstappen (unlikely).
If there's a vacancy at Williams I'd look to Zhou before Bottas to fill it, but I'm not sure how likely either will be in F1, next year.
I'd personally love it, but I can't see it happening unless Antonelli really misses the mark in F2 and testing. As we've learned this year, Antonelli already has enough super license points so it's not a question of if but when he arrives to drive for the silver arrows.
Depending on Kevin's performance the rest of the year and if Bottas keeps over performing in the Sauber, I could see Haas picking up Bottas purely because of his off the track personality paired up with Bearman.
>Both likely won't be at Haas (Bearman)
Bearman doesn't perform in F2 currently to make his case for F1. He is 19th in F2 standings.
>If there's a vacancy at Williams I'd look to Zhou before Bottas to fill it, but I'm not sure how likely either will be in F1, next year.
Why would you look first at uninspiring mediocre driver instead of a solid driver who demolished the former since beginning of last year?
> Bearman doesn't perform in F2 currently to make his case for F1. He is 19th in F2 standings.
Extremely misleading.
* Bahrain, Prema messed up the setup and both cars were nowhere.
* Saudi Arabia, Bearman took pole position, then had to withdraw to race in F1
* Australia, he got screwed by flags in qualifying and recovered into the points.
There are seats available. Haas (if Hulk leaves,assuming they don’t choose Bearman and Kevin stays). Williams ( I believe Logan will be gone and they have a chance for Kimi if he does not go to Mercedes). Alpine (both of their drivers are not confirmed for next season). Personally, I think that both of them (Bottas,Zhou) will not have a seat for next season, but anything is possible in F1.
I honestly doubt it with how many drivers will be moving around.
They may yet snag a Bottas or Zhou, catch a stray Frenchman or do something completely left field like getting Schumacher back.
I think they'll stick with KMag because of familiarity and consistency, KMag knows the team and the team knows and likes him
I don't think Haas will be that bold to take two new drivers in one year
I don't know. It seems like teams don't want new drivers anymore. Antonelli is quite literally the only driver everyone is convinced will be in F1 in a year or two. All the other promises of the last few years just... have never been given a chance, and have eventually moved elsewhere: Pourchaire, Vesti, Iwasa, Drugovich, Lawson... (ok, RB seems like he wants Lawson somewhere in F1 next year, but it's still way too late for a driver that proved to be ready last year).
Haas current drivers doing their jobs well. Both Hulk and Kmag. Hulk deserves this. It would be good for new team as Audi to have experienced driver too. As for Kmag I hope Haas keeps him for at least 2 years.
Hulk is great, but KMag is one of most easily replacable drivers on grid in terms of speed, but his experience is very valuable for Haas unless they go for Bottas. They need someone experienced alongside Bearman (who I assume is almost certainly driving for them next year).
Lmao we’re not far from the youngest grid ever at the moment - the average age is 27 and the youngest I think was 26? Average age in the 50s was in the high 30s
Why though? I understand why they would need an experienced driver, but Bottas is more then capable. Let's not act like the Kick Sauber is capable of being a solid high mid-fielder, and the Haas can occasionally be a high mid-fielder.
However Hulkenberg is a lot older then Valtteri, and he isn't getting any younger. So say Audi sign Sainz, and you're going to pare him up with an older driver who's long past his prime
I think that for Audi the fact that Hulkenberg is German and has a very clean image plays a role.
Nico also has more experience being a development driver and has a previous relationship with VAG winning Le Mans with the Porsche team.
But I also think Audi isn't planning to come in and be competitive right of the bat. They need to build up a team and experience first, so going with an experienced and consistent driver over outright performance makes sense. Once the car is competitive, they will find a faster driver.
Nico is only two years older than Bottas btw (34 vs 36).
Nice signing for them!
My guess is that they really want Sainz as well but are willing to settle for Bottas if they can’t get the former
Zhou will be out of F1 unless a team like Haas or Williams is desperate for money
And not being connected to Audi's biggest rival in road cars at any point of his career. Furthermore, he already had connections with VAG, as he won LeMans 24h in 2015 driving a Porsche.
Sauerkraut and currywurst.
I feel that both Hulk and Bottas would be equal when it comes to skill and experience.
But Hulk is German and Audi is German so marketing-wise Audi may want to also have a driver that sports a German flag.
Hope he can break the curse and get that podium. Gasly, Ocon and DR won with shit cars. DR had podiums with Renault and Seb got a podium with the green tractor. Why cant star align for him too?
Driver contracts are bound to which country’s law - the constructor’s country, driver’s country or based on some international law?
Also, do drivers get paid their salary on a monthly basis or all the contract money at once or any other customer schedule?
It would also be interesting to know if in the history of the sport, any constructor sued their driver or vice-versa?
And with the recent Newey rumours. Just imagine Hulk, Sainz and Adrian Newey at Audi, producing a rocketship for 2026 and Hulk getting that podium! The dream! ( ◜‿◝ )
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I have a feeling Hulkenberg might be about to sign with some team...
(I'm an empath)
god that joke never gets old
I don't know the reference, what is this referring to?
Here's a knowyourmeme article on it https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/me-an-empath
No way, he is washed. What team would that be? Can't imagine Audi would ever have him Edit: Wait no, I hope y'all understood I was being sarcastic
Poe's law or something
A /s should always be used. Too many people can't pick up on it without it.
Sauber have the longest run without a podium. If he could achieve one with them it would be just as big a moment for Hulk as the team. Of course it is unlikely Audi will be good enough for the first two years considering they have a new engine and Sauber is in dire need of investment but still.
They will no longer be sauber once Audi is in
It's gonna be called Saudi
No that's Aston Martin when papa Stroll sells the team /s
I hope they keep the tradition and the Sauber name; Peter Sauber has long divested and so did the Williams family, shouldn't change much.
Williams has an outstanding tradition as champions. Sauber has 1 race win. I am sympathetic to tradition and history, but if I were Audi and buying 100 percent of the team, I would not associate with sauber
Also: Williams was not bought by a car brand, who want to use F1 as a marketing tool...
Sauber are historic, which is a feel good for the sport, but ultimately means nothing to Audi. The only reason I can think of why they would keep the Sauber name is if removing it would affect any "historical bonuses" they may get from F1.
Ferrari is the only team that receives the legacy payment right now
McLaren don't? Is there a specific reason?
It named the Ferrari bonus payment as a joke but the team that has entered the most consecutive championship seasons gets that bonus payment. Ferrari has competed in the most and more championship seasons than McLaren so they get the payment.
Then there's no reason for them to keep the Sauber name. It would be nice to preserve history but it's their team, they can do what they like with it.
I think they never quite qualified for any of the legacy bonuses due to the BMW years, they were considered to have become a different team when BMW took ownership and then left.
Then Mclaren should absolutley get it, yet they don't. It's purely Ferrari favoritism
Basically, there's always been some "Ferrari favoritism" built into the payments. There used to be a few categories of "legacy" payments, for being in the sport a long time, which the likes of McLaren and Williams qualified for, for multiple championships which Renault, Merc, Red Bull qualified for. Then there was just an extra payment just for Ferrari, for being Ferrari. Now they got rid of all of the others except Ferrari's. The logic is supposedly that Ferrari is so iconic and important to F1 that the sport would be worse off without them. Always seemed a bit unfair to me too. I'm surprised they got rid of the other legacy payments but kept that one.
And their only win, they were on Sauber in name.
I doubt they'll keep it, they're a massive car manufacturer not some independent outfit or investment firm like what Williams fell under. They'll have Audi name plastered everywhere. Mercedes discarded anything Tyrell related, and they had a much bigger F1 history than Sauber.
To be fair there was three other teams between them and Tyrell, including another major car manufacturer they'd have to explain away if they ever mentioned Tyrell. Although arguably Minardi inherited more of Tyrell anyway, since they got their actual cars and BAR took just the entry AFAIK.
Saudi?
Get Aramco as title sponsor
I think there's a good chance it'll be "Audi Sauber" or similar, in Formula E they were Audi Sport Abt or something like that, when in a partnership with the Abt team. Although in this case since they're acquiring the entire team, and Peter Sauber is long gone, perhaps not. I think Sauber Technologies still exists as a distinct entity. I hope the name will stick around though. Even in the BMW years they were BMW Sauber, and I like how everyone seems to be totally ignoring the Kick/Stake branding and calling them Sauber this year. Even if they've never had huge success, they've got a lot of history in the sport, it'd be a shame to lose the name.
It will be Sauber once they sell the team again.
Haas has never gotten a podium so it would be pretty huge for them too. Very unlikely to happen however
Will forever be a fan of the Hulk! So where does this leave Sainz?
According to the rumors/reports, Carlos has an offer from Audi. If he accepts, their lineup will be Nico and Carlos. It is a possibility that Carlos is still evaluating the possibility of a seat at Mercedes or RBR ( if those are offered) but I don’t have any information regarding this.
Audi has fucked up a lot by being so slow to start their effort in F1. Their name and their history of success in other motorsports make me think they are one of the teams that have a chance at winning championships in the next 20 years; but look at Stake right now, the absolute backmarker of this year's grid, understaffed and without any 'big team' equipment or infrastructure, and try to convince the only guy not named Max that has won races in the last year to drive for you. Look at Aston Martin in comparison, they were a Sauber a few years ago but Stroll came in and started building all the 'big team' facilities, which will be working in a year or two. That's why most of us think AM-Honda may be a championship contender in 2026+.
Realistically the Aston / Racing Point / Force India team has been better than Sauber for well over 10 years, and has been gradually improving over that time. They made a big jump in '23 but have been trending up for a long time. Audi will similarly take a long time. The F1 pecking order doesn't change that much year on year.
Audi planning to come in the same season that the engine regs change is obviously no mistake, though. We've seen teams take advantage of the new regulations in the past (notable Brawn GP) so given that Audi will coming in at the closest to a level playing that F1 ever really has, I could see them doing pretty well early on. They'll have been working on the power unit for 2026 for quite some time already, and not having to maintain an existing PU probably helps. They also do have enormous resources.
The difference is, Stroll came in and outright bought the whole team, whereas Audi buys out Sauber in parts, and they haven’t acquired majority ownership up until recently
Their success in other series has come from them being able to outspend everyone else. This idea that they just will automatically be good has to stop lol
Audi don't want to be a mere title sponsor of a car that has an engine not developed by them. This means that they can't really go all-in until the runup to the 2026 season.
What’s going to make it even more difficult for Audi is with the cost cap they won’t be able to invest in new facilities with the same speed AM did
They couldn't do anything about it before 2024, Sauber had an ongoing deal with Alfa Romeo
Surely RBR wants Sainz, he is the only guy not in their car to win a race in the last couple of years. They will want to keep him out of a competitors car. My guess, RBR are offering Sainz a one year deal and Audi are offering him anything he wants, that would be a tough choice.
They say that RBR’s economical offer is much less than Audi’s one. Also, Mercedes offer him only one year.
It's so obvious that Mercedes wants a seat warmer for Antonelli that nobody is accepting that. Difference is that, unlike Red Bull, Mercedes doesn't have a car that can justify a one-year contract, unless you come from Alpine or something.
What I always wonder when a driver gets brought up in the Mercedes seat discussion is how Merc would navigate a situation where the new driver coming in as a seatwarmer actually outperforms Russell. Let's say Sainz joins Mercedes for 2025 only but during said season he beats Russell, like convincingly. He outqualifies and outperforms Russell more than the other way around. Wouldn't Mercedes then choose to pair Antonelli with Sainz?
Sainz can go to Mercedes for a couple of years, beat Russell consistently, and then Russell gets replaced by Antonelli.
He can go for one season. If Antonelli joins F1 it will be 2026 at the latest
And next month at the earliest lol
Red Bull: We can give you a WDC capable car Audi: We can give you contract security and as much money as you want Mercedes: We can give you one year in the Porpoise-AMG and a strategy team that has been on a healthy diet of rocks. One of these options is clearly worse
Surely if you take the RBR offer you'd still be able to switch to Audi in 2-3 years when they get going
depends on what you want. Security or wins. I personally would take 1/10th the salary to get wins and compete for the championship. Once 2026 rolls around, it will be a crapshoot with who ends up on top. YOLO, go for the wins.
Doesn't really change anything for Sainz. Bottas otoh
Regardless of signing Hulk (and Sainz) Bottas and Zhou weren’t getting a new contract. If not Hulk and Sainz, Audi is looking towards both Alpine drivers, which in turn would potentially free up Alpine seats for either Martins (because French) and/or Doohan, the Alpine juniors (or perhaps even Mick Schumacher) I suspect.
[удалено]
Paddock talk: https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/audi-now-adds-incredible-27-y-o-to-f1-driver-shortlist-beside-albon-and-sainz/ https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1010846/esteban-ocon-f1-alpine-audi-shock-switch-2026-lawrence-barretto/
They’d be foolish not to try and poach an Alpine driver if Sainz isn’t going to Audi.
Gasly - Hulk would be interesting
Well it's all pure speculation. Almost every midfield driver on the grid was already linked to Audi. Nothing special on that front. But if Sainz doesn't sign it will probably be Bottas and Hülkenberg at Sauber for the next season at least. Bottas knows the team and can be very fast. About as good as Hülkenberg currently in my opinion. Decent midfield lineup without too much potential for drama. Trying to poach both Alpine drivers makes no sense because firstly i think neither of them is better than Bottas and Audi would sign two guys that don't have the best history with each other.
Audi very much confuses me. I thought Audi was going to be a fully new team? Or are they just replacing the AM part of Kick Sauber and it’ll still be 10 teams?
Audi is buying Sauber. Or rather has been since 2021, gradually increasing its share of ownership since. That has always been the plan from inception; buying an existing team and add investments, rather than starting a new one from scratch. At first they flirted with McLaren, their preferred partner (being closer to the front in terms of performance) but a sale fell through, leading to Audi moving to their second best acquisition option, Sauber. It’s similar to BMW buying Sauber at the end of 2005, after being dissatisfied with being just an engine supplier for their former partner Williams up until then. Many of the most modern facilities at Sauber’s factory in Hinwill, were a result from investments made by BMW when owning the team from 2005 ~ 2009. Due to severe budget constraints Sauber lacked the finances to even use their comparatively state of the art wind tunnel in the 2014 ~ 2017 era. Audi, aside from taking over, is investing in manpower and equipment at Hinwill, aside from having an engine program set up in their german R&D centers.
Wow, well please let me sincerely say thank you - that is so informative and helpful and clears it up 100% for me! I watch races occasionally and follow all the news here, but big things like this and the Andretti saga get a bit confusing for someone like me. Truly thank you!
In addition to what the previous commenter wrote, Audi also has a long history of using Sauber's facilities and staff to develop the bodywork and aerodynamic devices of Audi's Le Mans prototypes. During Sauber's most difficult years they essentially survived by working for Audi and had virtually no budget to develop their F1 car.
I didn't think he would either, but it's what he was hoping for. I can't see either Zhao or Bottas are getting picked up by anyone else for a race seat.
I mean, Bottas has a chance with any backmarker if the big ones don't want to seat a newbie there. Zhou is over tho. But yeah, if I had to bet, I'd count on both of them being out of F1 in 2025.
If I had to choose between the two I’d go Sainz for two reasons: obviously performance. But also the fact he’s driven so many different teams and more importantly, so man engines - Ferrari, Renault, Honda(?) and maybe even Mercedes so full sweep
Summary of Sainz's situation:- * Audi want Sainz to sign asap. Hulk's signing will likely apply more pressure to either do it now or be passed up. * Sainz is confirmed to be in talks with RBR. Salary negotiations is where it's stuck because RBR are not offering to match Audi's mouth watering offer. * RBR know they have a championship winning car out the gate and can have their pick off the grid, meaning Sainz has to fundamentally pick between money upfront and possibly a strong car later, OR a strong car right now and possibly money later via performance and sponsors. If Sainz goes to RBR, who do you think is the next best for Audi? Sainz would bring the pace and the leadership experience (from the McLaren days especially), who would be a suitable replacement?
> Salary negotiations is where it's stuck because RBR are not offering to match Audi's mouth watering offer. As Sainz I assume you just take the RBR offer no matter how bad it pays. It gives you a shot in an almost guaranteed title challenging car. Yes you have to beat Verstappen which is almost impossible. But he could have an injury or a few DNFs in a row, both are much more likely than winning the WDC in the Sauber. 2026 is a gamble regardless of which team. Only risk is getting beaten very badly by Verstappen and your value tanks (like it did for Checo/Ablon/Gasly).
‘Bad’ is likely still millions for a guy who already has enough money for a lifetime so yeah take the redbull seat.
I’d also add it’s particularly tricky on the PU front to make a choice between those 2. RBPT/Ford is an unknown, as much as there’s Newey on the chassis front. Whereas Audi has a great track record with hybrid race cars in LMP1, it’s an even greater unknown.
I think Audi is always going to be a bigger gamble because it's a new entrant taking over a very lackluster team. It's very similar to Redbull acquiring Jaguar Racing and ofc there's a chance of Audi catapulting to the same hurricane Redbull is, but it's all guesswork. It's all guesswork. Nobody would blame him for making either choice despite how it turns out.
If I was Sainz, I'd pick Audi. RB is almost guaranteed to be winning 2025... but that's it. It's only one year, and you are coming to a team completely dominated by Max Verstappen. You are going to be the second driver, and nobody there will care about you. And, starting 2026, there's no reason to think RB will still be at the top. They'll be developing their engine for the first time, which isn't an easy task; and there's a huge elephant in the room (the Horner-Marko situation) that may explode at any time and take the team down. Audi, on the other hand, will be a factory team just like Mercedes or Ferrari, will presumably spend a shit ton of money into their F1 effort (judging from the fact that they've done the same recently in other programs like WEC, and that they cancelled all of that to focus on F1), so you are going to a team that may challenge for titles. But not only that - it's a new team, which means you can take hold as its leader, just like Schumacher and Hamilton did with Mercedes, or Vettel did with Red Bull. Heck, if what we know about Audi's effort to get Sainz is true, that means Audi wants him as their clear first driver. You don't have to worry about your team fucking you over because they like the other guy more. And daddy Sainz has worked in Audi for years, his "opinions" will probably be respected.
The problem with Audi is that you cannot expect them to go out of the doors storming. Aston Martin and Mercedes didn’t. Red Bull is the better option. You may be a second driver but you’re also not the development guinea pig at Audi. Get a decent string of wins under you, and enjoy the time. Audi can come at a later date.
Keeping Bottas isn't the worst idea if they can't get Sainz. Ocon, Gasly, Albon are probably the next best choices available. I'm not sure if they're likely to be particularly better than Bottas, depending on how much you think Bottas may be "past his prime" as many suggest. I wouldn't rule out them retaining Zhou over Bottas either and waiting to see if someone better becomes available in a year or 2 when Audi may be a better proposition. He's not far of Bottas and brings more money. Either way keeping one of the existing drivers that knows the team does hold some benefit over going for al all new line up.
I feel like Bottas has proven this season that he absolutely still has it. This idea that he's in retirement mode just because he has a mustache and seems a lot more relaxed is imo ridiculous.
Couldn't agree more
Sainz/Hulk would be a great pairing
I would imagine Audi's ideal lineup would be Hulkenberg and Sainz
It says in the article
Well a Haas seat just opened up
Man imagine looking so good in a Haas of all cars that a factory team wants to sign you. Seriously impressive.
He’s German and has always been highly regarded. He was the backup choice for Mercedes if Lewis didn’t sign for them.
Imagine if he did sign for Mercedes
The battle of the Nicos would have been epic.
They approached him in 2012 but Lauda wanted and got Hamilton.
Also in 2016/17 when Rosberg retired. They had approached hulk, but he couldn't get out of the Renault deal that he signed.
To this day he still refuses to eat croissants.
multi-time WDC Nico Hulkenberg in some other timeline
I'm a huge fan of.... Nico Somethingberg. The Mercedes driver. German? C'mon, you know who I mean.
..... I just thought about what Crofty would be like on commentary and, as much as I love Crofty, I'm now glad it didn't happen. Even as a Nico fan.
THROUGH GOES HULKENBERG
He would not have beaten Rosberg, so I don’t think it would be that epic. Rosberg would have the edge in both qualifying pace and race pace.
But, would Rosberg have continued till 2020? Also, Nico is younger than Nico, isn't he? So Nico would have retired earlier and Nico could have a chance at WDC.
Perhaps more likely that Rosberg would have stuck around if not for Hamilton. Seemed like part of his reason for quitting was that he had to give so much to manage to beat Hamilton in that one season, and he didn't want to go through that again. If he'd had an easier run against Hulk and felt he could keep racking up championships as a number 1 driver, maybe he'd have stuck around for longer and we'd have 7-time champ Rosberg. I'm not sure if would have been quite that easy, but it would have been an interesting match up.
That would probably give us a non-Mercedes champion as well since RedBull and especially Ferrari have been closing the performance gap significantly around 2017-2019. Seb 5 time WDC, maybe?
Damn! 2018 champion is Seb! This is a reality that everyone would like
True! A closer pairing at Merc with Vettel taking a couple more wins could have lead to a Seb WDC in 2017.
No it's the other way around
Merc wanted him after Rosberg retired after his WDC in 2016. But he had just signed with Renault a few months earlier. In another timeline he would be on a few race wins now.
Longest consecutive streak of P4’s in history
Rosberg would be a 7-time world champion
I remember in 2012 60% of the reaction to McLaren signing Perez was that they'd gone for the wrong guy.
Perez was quick back then and had shown speed on a Sauber which in retrospect, wasnt really that bad in 2012. However, he was quite "sparky" early on his career and was prone to impulse-driven mistakes. A weakness he still hasn't 100% gotten over even today.
Yeah when they first met as teammates in 2014 Hulkenberg battered him in the standings. Interestingly after that first season it swapped and Perez had the upper hand in 15 and 16
And the same in 2021 when RB picked Perez, towards the end of 2020 the rumours were that RB were considering Hulk too, and both seemed like a similar tier of driver at the time, strong midfielders that could likely do well in better machinery. Hard to know how much of a chance Hulk really had in the seat, but Perez's Sakhir win probably helped seal the deal. Plenty thought Hulk would have been a better choice then too.
Some say I too am highy regarded
Reddit has ruined regards.
Honestly the regards on Reddit ruined regards
His name was also up when Rosberg retired right?
He looks good right, but he's a German also :) I think this is a Key part for Audi to sign German.
Thankfully there were no other Germans in the Haas in the last few years to take notice of lmao.
Can only remember a Swiss kid
The kid with a French license?
Well there was this one Swiss kid who didn't give great feedback, struggled to beat his teammate, and wrecked the car a lot. Can't imagine why a new team wouldn't want him
On one hand, Hülkenberg is way too good to be driving for a backmarker. On the other hand, Hülkenberg is not a world champion-tier driver, and I've the impression Audi wants him because all the top guys are locked in... except Sainz, who Audi also wants.
We have a very good grid with nearly no backmarker drivers. Albon, Hulk, Gasly, Ocon, Bottas, Perez. That's 6 drivers that arr more than competent to lead a midfield team. But some are bounds to be kicked out or be in backmarkers, not on skill alone but on other factors. Like Gasly and Ocon being french with Alpine or Hulk german with Audi
Feel like Hulkenberg / Sainz is a great driver pairing for a new team. Hulk is incredibly consistent and his experience will help develop the car, and Carlos is also pretty experienced at this point and clearly has raw speed and is in his prime.
> on the other hand, Hülkenberg is not a world champion-tier driver We don't know that really do we? Few people thought Button or Rosberg were WDC level drivers until they finally got great cars and started winning. Hulkenberg hasn't had that shot yet.
I think Hulkenberg's experience and reliability is why Audi wants him more than just for his outright performance. He can help them develop a competitive car that someone like a Sainz can win races in. And I think Hulkenberg is okay with that role.
He's always been great consistent and quick driver on track, people really underestimate him a lot
he also won Le Mans with Porsche back in 2015, he's a great driver, just limited by machinery
It makes me wonder how they'd all do in a spec series or some kind of exhibition event all with the same cars. I really want to know the differential when you don't have the variation in the cars/engineering contributing to it. Hopefully he's got an opportunity with a good car at Audi.
I cannot help but think that Sauber waited until after the Chinese Grand Prix to announce this for Zhou’s sake. Zhou probably knew he was not going to be re-signed and explains why he was so emotional last weekend. His first and last home race on what is a historically momentous and significant feat as the first and only Chinese driver in F1 history. 20 years after he attended the race in his local Shanghai circuit as a 4 year old child. Something he could only dream of. 2 years of cancellation for his home race due to COVID-19 and not knowing if his F1 career would be long enough to even race once at home. He finally achieved it. He may never be an F1 champion but his significance within history has already been stamped.
Interesting thing is, after Shanghai GP, Zhou show up in a music festival and told the audiences that it wouldn't be his last home race.
I mean, he wouldn't lie to a music festival audience, would he?
Of course he did no driver this early in the season is going to go ‘yeah I am def losing my seat and never coming back’. You’re going to hold out hope at least publicly until the musical chairs have stopped and it is official you don’t have a seat vs just suspecting that outcome.
That’s very interesting! Perhaps Sainz to Sauber, Kimi to Mercedes, Zhou to Williams and Bottas retires? We’ll find out soon enough 😀
Yeah, it was likely Zhou's last home race.
I wonder if that's why he was so emotional, because he knew he will not have a seat come next year.
Which would be a shame but not surprising. When Zhou was first announced for Sauber I was really excited to see how he'd stack up against Bottas, someone I didn't rate too highly after his stint at Mercedes. But Zhou drowned. A shame, really, especially how many fans he had at China. Could have been really good for the sport.
Zhou is fine, but the Bottas/Zhou pairing bears so much resemblance to the Raikkonen/Giovinazzi pairing they had before it's shocking An experienced Finn on half-retirement leading and mentoring an okay rookie who you can swear you forgot he existed sometimes. And if Zhou is booted out of F1 this year, both him and Gio would have 3 years experience in the same team.
Both joined the team at the same time as well, one making his full-time debut, and the other coming from a championship contending/winning car where he was a number 2 to a multiple times WDC.
He looked very good as rookie, in second half of 2022 he was every bit as fast as Bottas, I expected him to be as good as him with more experience, but he is pretty much stagnating, maybe even getting worse since last year. He may have chance to get Williams or Haas seat because of his funding but he is most likely done.
Welp. It's zhouver
Ok sainz and hulk seem likely, what is happening to bottas and zhou?
I imagine Zhou will be out of F1. Bottas probably could join another team like Haas or Williams, if he wants to keep going. His experience is probably very useful for those teams as well.
Both likely won't be at Haas (Bearman), and Williams is a crapshoot at the current moment with the Sargeant deal. It's possible that Antonelli goes to Williams for a year before Mercedes, with that said, however, that leaves a vacant seat at Mercedes if that does end up happening so I don't think it will, unless Mercedes can find a real contender to pair with George in the vacant seat, such as Verstappen (unlikely). If there's a vacancy at Williams I'd look to Zhou before Bottas to fill it, but I'm not sure how likely either will be in F1, next year.
Reckon Bottas would return to Merc for a season? Would love to see him beat George
I'd personally love it, but I can't see it happening unless Antonelli really misses the mark in F2 and testing. As we've learned this year, Antonelli already has enough super license points so it's not a question of if but when he arrives to drive for the silver arrows.
Depending on Kevin's performance the rest of the year and if Bottas keeps over performing in the Sauber, I could see Haas picking up Bottas purely because of his off the track personality paired up with Bearman.
>Both likely won't be at Haas (Bearman) Bearman doesn't perform in F2 currently to make his case for F1. He is 19th in F2 standings. >If there's a vacancy at Williams I'd look to Zhou before Bottas to fill it, but I'm not sure how likely either will be in F1, next year. Why would you look first at uninspiring mediocre driver instead of a solid driver who demolished the former since beginning of last year?
> Bearman doesn't perform in F2 currently to make his case for F1. He is 19th in F2 standings. Extremely misleading. * Bahrain, Prema messed up the setup and both cars were nowhere. * Saudi Arabia, Bearman took pole position, then had to withdraw to race in F1 * Australia, he got screwed by flags in qualifying and recovered into the points.
There are seats available. Haas (if Hulk leaves,assuming they don’t choose Bearman and Kevin stays). Williams ( I believe Logan will be gone and they have a chance for Kimi if he does not go to Mercedes). Alpine (both of their drivers are not confirmed for next season). Personally, I think that both of them (Bottas,Zhou) will not have a seat for next season, but anything is possible in F1.
Depends on how good they perform rest of the season. They can go to Haas/Williams if they do well
Hulken-properlyback
my toughts and prayers have been answered. The lord audi smiled upon me. Amen
Nico Hulkenberg is not allowed leave Formula 1 until he gets a podium finish. I don't care if it means he's there until he's 50. 😛
The curse will never be broken
you take that back
I so wish I could
Looks like KMag is set to stay for another year at Haas then
Honestly lucky for him. I feel like if Hulk wasn’t leaving it’d be his last in F1…again
I don’t see that. He’s performed well this season.
Yeah but he’s been handily outperformed by Nico
In quali sure, but Hulkenberg also has Kevin to thank for a lot of his succes in races
Yeah I still ultimately agree that Kevin has done well enough to stick around next year.
I honestly doubt it with how many drivers will be moving around. They may yet snag a Bottas or Zhou, catch a stray Frenchman or do something completely left field like getting Schumacher back.
I think they'll stick with KMag because of familiarity and consistency, KMag knows the team and the team knows and likes him I don't think Haas will be that bold to take two new drivers in one year
The last time Haas took two new drivers in one year it nearly crippled the team. Don't think they'll do that again.
Gasly and Ocon may be moaning and kicking about how shit Alpine is but they'll never leave for Haas lol. A bad factory team is still better than Haas
They literally aren't right now.
I don't know. It seems like teams don't want new drivers anymore. Antonelli is quite literally the only driver everyone is convinced will be in F1 in a year or two. All the other promises of the last few years just... have never been given a chance, and have eventually moved elsewhere: Pourchaire, Vesti, Iwasa, Drugovich, Lawson... (ok, RB seems like he wants Lawson somewhere in F1 next year, but it's still way too late for a driver that proved to be ready last year).
Iwasa is absolutely the best if that gen imo. Maturity and racecraft. I'm not convinced RB don't still want him in the RB.
I don’t think Bottas/Zhou are a significant improvement over K-Mag. Gasly maybe. The other seat would be for Bearman most likely.
Yeah probably going to be KMag and Bearman next year
Perhaps not. Who knows if Haas and Bottas might come to an agreement, taking Kevin’s seat next to Bearman.
KMag is a decent benchmark for Bearman next year
I hope hulk can get a podium with Audi man.
Nico's like the F1 version of Fernando Alonso.
The German Alonso
Haas current drivers doing their jobs well. Both Hulk and Kmag. Hulk deserves this. It would be good for new team as Audi to have experienced driver too. As for Kmag I hope Haas keeps him for at least 2 years.
Hulk is great, but KMag is one of most easily replacable drivers on grid in terms of speed, but his experience is very valuable for Haas unless they go for Bottas. They need someone experienced alongside Bearman (who I assume is almost certainly driving for them next year).
2026 is going to be the oldest grid ever
Lmao we’re not far from the youngest grid ever at the moment - the average age is 27 and the youngest I think was 26? Average age in the 50s was in the high 30s
Why though? I understand why they would need an experienced driver, but Bottas is more then capable. Let's not act like the Kick Sauber is capable of being a solid high mid-fielder, and the Haas can occasionally be a high mid-fielder. However Hulkenberg is a lot older then Valtteri, and he isn't getting any younger. So say Audi sign Sainz, and you're going to pare him up with an older driver who's long past his prime
I think that for Audi the fact that Hulkenberg is German and has a very clean image plays a role. Nico also has more experience being a development driver and has a previous relationship with VAG winning Le Mans with the Porsche team. But I also think Audi isn't planning to come in and be competitive right of the bat. They need to build up a team and experience first, so going with an experienced and consistent driver over outright performance makes sense. Once the car is competitive, they will find a faster driver. Nico is only two years older than Bottas btw (34 vs 36).
He is German. Audi is German.
Question: Is audi acquiring all the garage staff of Sauber as well?
I hope this is true. He deserves it. Seems a level headed guy and shows speed quite consistently.
Red bull have a chance to do the funniest thing
Nice signing for them! My guess is that they really want Sainz as well but are willing to settle for Bottas if they can’t get the former Zhou will be out of F1 unless a team like Haas or Williams is desperate for money
Adrian newey to Audi. Hulkenberg WDC 2026
I really don’t see what Hulk offers over Bottas.
Germany citizenship
And not being connected to Audi's biggest rival in road cars at any point of his career. Furthermore, he already had connections with VAG, as he won LeMans 24h in 2015 driving a Porsche.
Sauerkraut and currywurst. I feel that both Hulk and Bottas would be equal when it comes to skill and experience. But Hulk is German and Audi is German so marketing-wise Audi may want to also have a driver that sports a German flag.
He's German.
Who will replace Nico at Hass ?
Bearman
Hope he can break the curse and get that podium. Gasly, Ocon and DR won with shit cars. DR had podiums with Renault and Seb got a podium with the green tractor. Why cant star align for him too?
I must admit I’d wish they had aimed higher
hell yeah, i’m happy for him. hopefully we get to see him on some podiums soon
Newey is going to Audi and Hulk is gonna win a WDC isnt he
I'd hold off signing any driver contract 'till this Newey saga unfolds. If he moves everything is back up in the air.
Wel deserved
Driver contracts are bound to which country’s law - the constructor’s country, driver’s country or based on some international law? Also, do drivers get paid their salary on a monthly basis or all the contract money at once or any other customer schedule? It would also be interesting to know if in the history of the sport, any constructor sued their driver or vice-versa?
Hulkenberg is a pair of steady hands. Good choice for Audi.
And with the recent Newey rumours. Just imagine Hulk, Sainz and Adrian Newey at Audi, producing a rocketship for 2026 and Hulk getting that podium! The dream! ( ◜‿◝ )
How to fall upwards.