Hulkenberg back at Sauber, previously a good match

From 2025, we are going to see Nico Hulkenberg return to Sauber's team, currently named Stake F1, and soon to become Audi. This is not the first time the German will be working for the Swiss team. He also drove for the team in 2013, with relatively good results. Let's go back 11 years and look at how Hulkenberg fared then.

Sauber, like this year, was driving with a Ferrari engine. The German's teammate was Esteban Gutiérrez. The season started horribly for Hulkenberg. He could not start the race in Australia due to a problem with the car's fuel system. Fortunately, he managed to pick up his first points in the races that followed. In Malaysia and China, he finished eighth and 10th. After a series of scoreless races and a DNF after a collision with Giedo van der Garde, it was time for the highlight of the season for the German.

In the four races from Monza to the Japanese Grand Prix, he managed to finish in the points four times in a row. Topping it off with fourth place in Korea, where he finished 20 seconds behind P3 Romain Grosjean. It turns out to be a blemish on the career of the German driver, who has never achieved a podium finish to date. In his second stint with the Sauber team, and with the partnership with Audi, he still hopes to get everything out of his career.

Hulkenberg looks forward to Audi

Hulkenberg has signed a multi-year contract at Sauber. This means he will compete for Stake F1 in the 2025 F1 season and join Audi in 2026. From 2026, Audi will take over the team. His teammate for these years is not yet clear. "The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it’s a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honor for me," Hulkenberg said after the announcement