Nico Hulkenberg will say farewell to the Haas F1 team by the end of the season, having signed a multi-year contract to compete for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber from 2025 onwards.
Andreas Seidl, CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG, stressed: “We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula 1.”
“With his speed, experience, and commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team - and of Audi’s F1 project.”
“Right from the start, there was great mutual interest in building something long-term together. Nico is a strong personality, and his input, on a professional and personal level, will help us to make progress both in the development of the car and in building up the team.”
Last March, Audi AG decided to acquire 100 percent of the Sauber Group, set to become the Audi Formula 1 factory team in 2026, and therefore, Hulkenberg is the first driver to join the German automaker at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Speaking about his new career challenge, the 36-year-old outlined: “I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland.”
“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 honor for me.”
The Emmerich am Rhein-born returned full-time to Formula One with the American outfit after three years without a race seat.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans race winner with Porsche (2015) found himself without a seat by the end of the 2019 season when Renault F1 (renamed Alpine) opted to sign Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
In 2021, he acted as reserve and development driver for the Aston Martin F1, a role he retained for 2022.
Having committed his future in the racing series to Audi, the German took to social media to express his gratitude to those who made his comeback possible when many deemed otherwise in such a competitive drivers market.
I am thrilled and honoured to return to Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber in 2025 and to represent the global German car manufacturer and technology pioneer AUDI on its way into Formula 1 in the future. Its a big project with high ambitions and a huge challenge, a challenge that I am pic.twitter.com/Gfrdk4NkCx
— Nico Hlkenberg (@HulkHulkenberg) April 26, 2024
“I would like to express a special thank you to the entire Haas F1 Team, especially Gene and Guenther, for placing their trust in me 1,5 years ago and making a comeback in F1 possible.
“I will do everything I can in the remaining 19 races to be as successful as possible.”
For his part, Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, commented: “I’d like to extend my thanks to Nico for his contributions to the team in the time that he’s been here with us - he’s been a great team player and someone we very much enjoy working with.
“His experience and feedback have proved invaluable to us in terms of improving our overall performance - a fact that’s clearly evident in both his qualifying and race performances in the VF-24 this season.
“There’s lots more racing to go this year, so we look forward to continuing to benefit from his inputs throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.”
Five rounds into a record-breaking 24-race calendar season, he has earned 4 points at the wheel of the VF-24, summing up 534 career points tally.