Nico Hülkenberg, who is enjoying a good start to his season with Haas, has just proven to be his last with the American squad. He has put pen to paper on a multi-year contract with Kick Sauber, who in 2026 will be taken over by the german car manufacturing giant Audi. The team will become an engine manufacturer and is said to put a lot of investment into a long term goal of becoming future champions.
Hülkenberg said of his new deal that he has fond memories of working with back in 2013 and that "the prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honour for me.”
As a consequence, only one seat is left at Kick Sauber. With current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both out of a contract for next season, who gets the last seat is yet to be confirmed. Silly Season just got more interesting. I've written before about how both Bottas and Zhou have been underperforming at Kick Sauber and are at risk of loosing their seats. The verdict is still out if one of them get renewed confidence from the leadership or if they opt to give the chance to someone else.